


Ice Flower

by Elliette, Van_Valthier



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Build up, Bumblebee on the side, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, White Rose - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-11 09:44:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 40,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7886239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elliette/pseuds/Elliette, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Van_Valthier/pseuds/Van_Valthier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is going to be a build up romance between Ruby and Weiss(I ship them so much.) so if that's not your cup of tea, then go move along. - w-</p></blockquote>





	1. Red, Black, White, and Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a build up romance between Ruby and Weiss(I ship them so much.) so if that's not your cup of tea, then go move along. - w-

Fast stomping feet echoed throughout the hall. It filled the silent air. Black boots with red laces, a black shirt inside a red hooded vest with a wolf-like creature which looked like it was about to devour a rose on the back, and a plaid red skirt consisted of the hurrying girl.

 _'Ugh, I can't believe Yang left me! On the first day too! I don't even know where the auditorium is!'_ the girl said to herself as she sped down the hallway trying to find another soul to ask for directions.

As soon as she saw a corner, she tried to slow her momentum for the turn. What she didn't expect was another person popping up at the end of it.

"W-Watch out!" was all she could mutter as she crashed into this person. The girl's hood fell backwards and they both ended up falling on the floor with a loud  **thud**. Sheets of paper suddenly soaring, scattering, and falling.

"S-Sorry! I tried to stop but I didn't expect someone to suddenly show up..." the red and black themed girl blurted out fast as she shot an apologetic face, picking up the sheets of paper around them in an instant.

The other person, now determined to be a pale white girl, started standing up with utmost elegance and poise.

Her alluring features and her princess-like demeanor cracked and fell apart as soon as she spoke or rather bicker in this case.

"Watch where you're going!" a shriek like shout echoed through the hall. She looked surprised with her own loud voice at first and composed herself quickly before trying again.

"S-Sor-" the red and black themed girl tried but failed to utter the words since she was soon interrupted.

"You better watch where you're going! In fact, you shouldn't even be running in the hallways! Aren't you a little too young to be here? Are you someone's lost sister?" she said sternly and strictly as she glared at the younger girl.

"I-I said sorry, princess!" the younger girl almost shouted it out as she stood up onto her feet, shoving the papers into the pale white girl's hands.

Now, having a better look at the other pale white girl, she took notice that the girl had ice blue eyes and platinum white hair. She wore a long sleeved white blouse that was properly buttoned up, blue jeans with a snowflake-like design on its front left leg, and baby blue wedges.

The now shorter girl's expression became softer at the sight. _'Wow, she's really pretty.'_ she thought.

The pale girl turned away and started walking off without saying another word.

A few seconds pass after the incident and she found herself just zoning out until she realized that she was running late.

"Oh dust, I need to ask her where the auditorium is!" she spoke aloud as she started running towards the girl who walked off.

She managed to catch up but she barely mustered the courage to actually call the other out. _'Ugh, at this rate, I look like a stalker following her like thi—'_ her thoughts came to a stop when the pale white girl had suddenly turned around to face her.

"Stop following me, you dunce!" the white and blue themed girl harshly said without a second thought.

"S-Sor-! Uh, no! I mean, I need to ask you something...and I sort of didn't have the courage to call you out but I really need directions to the auditorium! I know I'm being annoying but it's my fi—" as the red and black themed girl blurted out fast words she was again interrupted by the pale white girl.

"—Fine, follow me but don't speak to me." the pale white girl had waved her hand dismissively and resumed walking, a little more calmer than before.

"Thanks." the younger girl whispered through her breath as she smiled, relieved.

They go through a little more ways of the hall until they reached the center. There were two big doors leading to the grand auditorium, already filled with students of all sizes.

"Ruuuubes! Over here! I saved you a spot." Yang, her older sister, called her attention.

"Oh! Uhm...there's two spots. Do you wanna sit with us?" Ruby hopefully asks the pale white girl.

The girl in question faces her swiftly and, again, with grace in her every move. _'She really is like a princess...'_ Ruby thought.

"No thank you." the white and blue themed girl said as quickly as she left leaving Ruby standing there awkwardly.

Ruby snapped out of it and walked over to where Yang was, glaring at her all the while.

"Hey Rubes, how's your first day so far?" Yang said while grinning widely at her little sister. Yang was wearing her usual orange tank top inside a brown long sleeved half vest with a burning heart design on the back, and boots with yellow laces.

"You mean since you didn't wake me up and left me? Then I crashed into this mean girl who literally shrieked at me! I tried to apologize but she scolded me even more!" Ruby pouted and glared at Yang who just smiled widely at her.

"Aww, come on Ruby! I just wanted you to experience some independence and...maybe help you grow a little." Yang blurted out the last part of her speech and grinned widely while looking away and fiddling with her bright golden locks before continuing.

"You guys just probably got off on the wrong foot, you know." Yang said as she looked at Ruby again and flipping her hair backwards.

"I guess you have a point, we did meet by crashing into each other." Ruby says with a thoughtful face but her pondering was interrupted by the microphone's adjustment as if someone was about to speak.

A blonde guy hurriedly came up to the seat beside Ruby and says "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Ruby simply shakes her head to signify that it wasn't taken. As soon as he sits, someone talks on the microphone. Ruby faces to the front to see a silver haired guy with glasses and a stoic look.

"Due to a short delay, I'll make this brief. Welcome to Beacon University. I am Ozpin, the headmaster here. I also teach some of the classes during my spare time. Tomorrow, before your official classes start, as you all should know by now, we shall be pairing you up so be ready and be early." Ozpin stopped for a brief moment and his face turned serious.

"All I see here are confused young people with wasted energy. No direction. Here, we teach you knowledge and information. It is up to you how you approach your life ahead after this university and I deeply wish that you will choose a life of no regret. That is all." Ozpin slowly walks off the podium and away from the microphone as one of the teachers, Professor Goodwitch, came up to speak.

"Thank you Professor Ozpin. Now, a speech from the first year's representative who got the top scores during the entrance exam, Weiss Schnee." she said as she stepped away letting Weiss take the podium.

"Greetings and good morning my fellow students, my name is Weiss Schnee. I am terribly sorry for the delay, however, I am very honored to be standing here today. As all of you know, we start our official classes tomorrow. I hope we all strive to achieve our goals and be careful not to stray from our duties and responsibilities. This is one of the most prestigious universities in all of Remnant and I hope we try to uphold this with the best of our capabilities. Thank you." Weiss said confidently and calmly. She then steps down of the podium and elegantly walks away with seemingly calculated strides.

A wide smile creeps up on Ruby's face. _'Wow! That was her, Weiss Schnee. That was awesome. So she's really really smart!'_ Ruby excitedly thought. Yang waves a hand in front of her face and called out.

"Hey! Earth to Ruby, what are you smiling so wildly about?" Yang grins at her baby sister.

"Huh? Oh, uhh, that was her." Ruby blurts out excitedly.

"Her?" Yang prompts Ruby to explain what she meant with a gesture that basically meant 'go on then.'

"Weiss Schnee. She was the girl I crashed into a while ago." Ruby says, her energy diminishes a little bit with embarrassment apparent on her face.

Yang just smiles and says "Look who's excited to reconcile with the Ice Queen."

"Shut up Yang. You still owe me for leaving me behind, be glad that the assembly was delayed!" Ruby spats at Yang and glares at her but smiles widely after a while. They both laugh at their silliness.

As most of the first year students dissipate, the blonde guy calls out to them and raises up his hand for a shake.

"Uh, hey! The name's Jaune Arc. Do you ladies happen to know where the boy's dormitory is?" He pauses then starts to smile as if he forgot to.

Ruby takes Jaune's hand and shakes it as she spoke "Oh, uhh, my name is Ruby. This is my older sister, Yang. Nice to meet you Jaune."

"Hellooo! The boy's dormitory is to the west if you're facing Beacon. Second and third year students are mostly ghosts right now since classes won't start for them until next week." Yang says then smirks.

"Oh, thanks. I was starting to worry I might get lost. Well, ladies, I should be going. Hope we see each other again." Jaune waves as he jogs off towards the halls.

The two starts darting off towards the halls with the rest of the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heiya! This would be my first romance aaaand first fanfic so I hope you enjoyed.  
> Would appreciate it if someone gave me feedback. Thanks for reading!


	2. Silver Eyes

**Weiss's P.O.V.**

_'I cannot believe that I overslept! I came all the way from Atlas two days ago for the sole reason of not getting tardy! This is going to sully my reputation! Ugh!'_ Weiss growled under her breath as she walked briskly towards the edge of the hall.

Weiss should have heard the fast stomping of feet getting closer but as she peered the edge of the corner, she was sent flying towards the ground and the papers she held fell and scattered near them.

Standing up, Weiss was ready to spat at the poor soul who had crashed into her.

She unexpectedly shrieked and was caught off guard by this. Quickly, she composed herself and started scolding the red and black themed girl with a more controlled and moderately loud voice enough to make sure that the other girl hears every word.

As the other girl stood up and shoved her papers into her hands, she saw those silver eyes. She stared at them for a few seconds.

 _'She...has silver eyes.'_ Weiss thought to herself when she, for a brief second, was mesmerized by them.

 _'...Ugh! I have had enough of this time wasting bickering!'_ Weiss thought as she turned around and walked again without uttering another word.

* * *

 

After the assembly, Weiss had already planned beforehand to head immediately to the dining hall for breakfast. It was important to replenish nutrition after all and she didn't get any before she traveled to Beacon from her hotel at Vale.

Upon entering the dining hall, the chattering of students became louder and clearer. Weiss moved to the corner where all kinds of breakfast themed food were placed carefully in an organized manner. Usually, some staff would be serving the students their chosen food but, today, the students were to get their own food from the table themselves.

Weiss had picked up a gray tray that was stacked on the corner of the table. She then decisively moved to where all kinds of fresh fruits were placed and picked up a bright red apple. Examining it, she turned the apple around and about. Once she found it satisfactory, she places it on her tray. After looking at the tables of food, she considered and then decided to have a very typical Atlesian breakfast.

Picking up a bowl, Weiss continued moving to get and put milk, cereal flakes, nuts, dried fruits, and other ingredients of her liking into her bowl.

Weiss then went to the drink section and poured herself coffee, adding two sugars.

Completed and satisfied with her array of food, Weiss turned and looked for an open table. She walked gracefully, not minding the stares of a few other students.

Weiss sat down and placed her tray carefully on the table in front of her. Having a whole table for herself wasn't unusual for her. In fact, it was very common as she seldom ate with anyone in her family.

* * *

Ruby and Yang both stepped in the dining hall and found a number of students already inside. Ruby's eyes had a familiar anxiousness in it.

"Whoa! Rubes, the dining hall is huuuge! Imagine if it was filled with all the students! Signal's cafeteria is beat compared to this." Yang smiled widely as she gestured towards the tables.

"Heh, yeah..." Ruby uttered, trying to sound a little enthusiastic but failing.

"Come on little sis, you'll be fine." Yang said with an encouraging smile and a pat on the back of Ruby. Pushing her towards the corner, they both arrived in front of the array of food.

Ruby immediately took a large bowl and put in cereals and some strawberries. Eventually, she poured milk onto her bowl and called it 'complete.' She then got a mug of hot chocolate onto her tray.

Yang grins at Ruby, amused. She then grabs a plate and filled it with bacon, eggs, and some bread. Grabbing a glass of orange juice, she walks towards Ruby who was waiting for her.

 Looking for an open table, Yang spots Weiss alone. Smirking she says "Hey Ruby, the Ice Queen's over there. It's your chance to reconcile with her." and then winks and drags her baby sister with her.

"Y-Yang! Wait, I'm not ready!" Ruby tries to yank Yang's hand off but fails to no avail. Eventually, they arrive at the table, some students peering at them. Yang then pushes Ruby forward and made a thumbs up to get her more motivated.

Ruby hesitates but stares at Weiss who wasn't moving. 'Is something wrong?' Ruby thought to herself as she waved her left hand a bit near Weiss so she could get her attention.

Ruby mustered her courage and said "Uhh, hey, uhm, Weiss. It's me, err, the girl who crashed into you before the assembly."

Weiss promptly looks at Ruby with a blank expression that turned to bit of a surprised one. _'Oh, this girl is stari-Wait! It's...'_

"You!" Weiss suddenly shouted. Weiss's surprised expression turned into a glare as she looked at Ruby before she continues. "You're lucky I still had the generosity in me to guide you to the auditorium!" Weiss finishes.

"Eep! I'm really sorry. I really didn't mean to!" Ruby explains herself.

"Look, uh, I think you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?" Yang said awkwardly at the two with a slight smile.

"Yeah! Great idea sis." Ruby clears her throat and extends her hand for a shake with newfound confidence then continues. "Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We could go shopping for school supplies." Ruby finishes with a hopeful expression.

"Yeah! And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about boys like...tall, blonde, and scraggly over there." Weiss points with her thumb over to Jaune, all the while having a fake smile on her face.

"Wow, really?" Ruby asks, still hopeful.

Weiss maintains her thumb up but her lips frowned at Ruby. She then quickly concluded "No."

Ruby lowers her head, dejected at the clear rejection from Weiss.

"Come on Ruby, Ice Queen's a lost cause." Yang decides as she pulls Ruby by the arm to a nearby empty table on the other side of the dining hall.

* * *

 Strolling slowly towards the small park, the two took notice of the open track and field to their right. Ruby points out excitedly with a smile.

"Yang, look at that huge track and field! Do you think that's where mom ran all the time during her time here?" Ruby asks nonchalantly.

"I think so, baby sis. You'll soon be running there too, you know." Yang gives Ruby a wink and a wide smile.

"Ooooohh! I'm so excited!" Ruby nearly shouts with bounds of energy, jumping up and down.

The two sisters kept strolling towards the small park, taking a seat on one of the benches made of wood. Sitting down and resting on such a fine windy day was something they both looked forward to.

Yang then notices from the corner of her eyes, a black themed girl. She was sitting down on one of the benches reading a book so intently that it was covering her face.

Yang stands up with curiosity filling her expression. She then walked up to the sitting girl.

"Yang?" Ruby utters as Yang stood up, eyeing her all the while.

As Yang got closer to the black themed girl, she smiles and says "Hey there." to catch her attention.

The girl, before looking up at Yang, finishes the sentence she was reading. She then looks up at Yang with a skeptical face. The stare holding, Yang tries to make small talk.

"Weather's nice today, isn't it?" Yang continues a bit taken aback by the girl's clear amber eyes.

"Yes, it's as lovely as this book that I'm reading." The girl responded nonchalantly.

Yang smiles at her words. While moving to sit down next to the black themed girl, she reaches out her hand for a shake.

"My name's Yang. What's yours?" Yang said still holding her smile.

The amber eyed girl looks at Yang's right hand and then back to Yang's face as she hesitantly took it.

"Hello Yang. My name's Blake." Blake mentions while she shakes Yang's right hand.

Yang grins widely at this while Blake pulls her hand away and continues to read her book. Yang silently watched her with a little more ease.

"Yang! What's up? Why'd you leave me?" Ruby walks to the two in a moderately fast pace.

Blake looks up from her book again, this time looking at Ruby. Yang notices this and introduces Ruby.

"Blake, this is Ruby, my baby sister." Yang gestures to Ruby with an open palm.

Ruby panics a little and utters "Oh, uhh, hi there." then scratches the back of her head as she looked away.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you both but I have to get going now." Blake places her fish designed bookmark and closes her book. She then stands up slowly and walks away swaying her hips in the process. Turning, she waves at the two to officially say goodbye.

Yang waves at Blake confidently as opposed to Ruby's half hearted waving.

"Whoa, did you see her ears? That was awesome. I've never seen a Faunus in real life before." Ruby says in awe as she sits down beside Yang.

"She was definitely something. Not much Faunus around Vale these days but there's probably going to be a few in our school." Yang states with a grin.

* * *

 

Night befell on the land of Vale. Most of the students went to their dormitories and some went back to their nearby homes in the resident district of Vale.

Inside the main lobby of the girl's dormitory, Weiss went to the stacks of sleeping bags of different colors that was provided for them to use.

Weiss searched and pondered over what sleeping bag to use. She circled to the back of the stack but stumbled upon something on the ground. She checked what it was and determined it to be a baby blue sleeping bag with white polka dots on them.

 _'Perfect...but these unsystematic bunch of girls should at least fold these and put it back on the stack rather than throw it away.'_   Weiss became a bit annoyed at the thought.

Upon selecting her sleeping bag, Weiss scouts the lobby for an open space. The place was unexpectedly crowded but she spots an open space. She marched towards the spot and notices Ruby right beside the open space.

 _'Great. It's that Ruby girl. I should probably find another open space.'_ Weiss decided but when she looked around, everyone else were settled except for a spot near a group of Faunus near the windows. Exhaling a sigh, she weighs her options. She would rather sleep beside Ruby than these animals.

Once again marching to the open space beside Ruby, Weiss kneels down and places her sleeping bag on the floor.

"H-Hey Weiss." Ruby carefully uttered as she glances at Weiss and at the ceiling. She knew that she and Weiss wasn't really on good terms at the moment but tried to talk to her anyway.

Weiss ignores Ruby as she fixed her sleeping bag and lays down.

"You know, Weiss, I really wanna make it up to you." Ruby said with determination but half expected Weiss to not respond.

Weiss sighs, staring at the ceiling. 'This dolt is really persistent after being yelled and scowled at.' Her expression softens a bit at the thought.

"Ruby, was it? I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm here to study. Not waste time making unnecessary friends and fool around." Weiss said coldly and confidently as she closed her eyes.

 _'This is for the best.'_ Weiss believed.

Ruby stayed silent, thinking of words to answer the straightforward statement but fails. Time passed her by and knew it was too late to even answer Weiss. She then hesitantly closed her eyes.

 _'Why do you act so...cold, Weiss?'_ Ruby thought as she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heiya! - w-  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I don't have a particular schedule to update this but I'll be sure to update when I have the time. Or maybe, possibly, between 3-7 days.


	3. Apples

The bright—quite possibly treacherous—light beams down from the windows waking up a few female students that included Yang.

Yang sits up steadily and reached upwards to the ceiling, stretching her arms. She glanced to the right and found Ruby still sleeping. Smirking, she stands up and fixes her black and orange sleeping bag and rolls it up. She then notices Weiss sleeping beside Ruby and her face was instantly filled with shock.

 _'When did the Ice Queen get there?'_ Yang shrugs. _'I guess I was sleeping when she got here but if she hurts my baby sister again...the punishment won't be light.'_

With small strides to avoid occupants of the floor, Yang reaches her destination. She places her sleeping bag back onto the small stack of other sleeping bags.

Ruby, who was sleeping on her left side, wakes up and yawns. She eyed the empty space for a second then realizes that her sister was no where to be found, again.

'She left without waking me up again!' Sighing, Ruby's thoughts continued. 'I suppose this time I woke up in time without her.'

Ruby then notices Yang in her orange tank top and black pajamas as Yang turned around.

'Oh, Yang hasn't left. She's still in her jammies.' Ruby thought as she slightly waves her left hand trying to say hi to Yang.

Yang then took notice of her baby sister waving at her. She then mouths 'IN-DE-PEN-DENCE' hoping Ruby would understand.

Surely enough, Ruby understood and scowled at Yang before standing up. Yang then walks over to her sports bag with light steps symbolizing her seemingly cheery mood and grabs a set of clothes for her to wear after she bathes in their dorm's public bathroom. There were several public bathrooms on each floor.  _'Beacon sure is prestigious.'_ Yang thought inwardly.

By this time, most of the students has gotten up and was preparing for the day. So when Ruby notices a sleeping Weiss, she got a bit concerned.

Ruby starts to tidy up her own sleeping bag while thinking _'Well, Weiss did get here later than most of us. I suppose she's tired.'_

Rolling up her dark red sleeping bag, Ruby ponders whether or not to wake up Weiss. She wasn't on friendly terms with the princess and she didn't want to make it any worse by doing something unnecessary.

Ruby walks over to the stack of sleeping bags, now a bit higher than when Yang placed hers. Ruby glances at Weiss and her worries grew. Despite that though, she tries to forget about it and just take a bath.

* * *

Yang had gone ahead of Ruby to the auditorium to reserve seats for both of them.

As Ruby steps out of the restroom, she saw Weiss still in her baby blue sleeping bag. Ruby was dressed in a plain black shirt with her red hooded vest on top of it, tight black jeans with silver patterns of a rose, and her boots with red laces.

Ruby decides to wait for Weiss and sat with her back on the wall near another door leading inside the dormitory.

'She really isn't waking up.' Ruby thought as she stood up and walked the almost empty lobby towards Weiss.

Ruby hesitantly crouches near Weiss and slowly raises her left hand to wake her up.

"Weiss. Wake up. You're going to be late, you know...Weiss?" Ruby said as she shook Weiss gently.

Weiss mumbles something inaudible and turns, facing away from Ruby.

Ruby chuckles a little at this. _'Stubborn, are we?'_ Ruby mentally says to Weiss.

"Weiss, if you don't get up now you'll regret it!" Ruby tries to use a much more louder voice in hopes of waking up the older girl.

Weiss turns around again, now facing Ruby, and her eyes slightly open. Her expression slightly turns into one of shock and stares at the younger girl. After a few seconds, she sits up almost immediately and looks around. The lobby was almost empty except for a student who was still lined up to use the bathroom. The floor was free of any other sleeping bag except for hers.

Ruby smiles sheepishly at Weiss without thinking. "Hey Weiss, did you sleep well?"

Weiss's gaze returned to Ruby's mesmerizing silver eyes. She looks away, embarrassment apparent on her face.

"As a matter of fact, I did sleep well." Weiss states as she stood up, leaving her sleeping bag behind. Taking clothes from her bag, Weiss took fast strides towards the now empty bathroom.

Ruby stood up, her gaze still locked on Weiss, and chuckles once more. _'Least she didn't scold me.'_

Ruby waited a little more for Weiss to finish taking a bath. She took this opportunity to clean up the princess' sleeping bag which—at the time—seemed like the most natural thing to do.

Weiss came out of the restroom and notices Ruby waiting for her. She had a white and blue thigh-length dress, a bolero jacket that has a familiar snowflake-like design on the back, and white heels.

Ruby walks up to Weiss saying "All ready to go?"

"I will not be late because you're slow." Weiss states coldly and walks off.

Ruby then runs ahead of her and smirks. "See? I'm not slow, princess! Besides, I'm the one who _waited_ for you." Ruby teases as she jogs side by side with Weiss.

Weiss rolls her eyes to the side and continued walking, smirking a little bit.

* * *

 Yang happily walks towards the entrance of Beacon with a crowd of students when she recognized a familiar girl in black. Yang waves at the cat faunus excitedly.

"Hellooo! How's your morning so far, Blake?" Yang spoke while taking larger strides towards her.

 Yang manages to catch Blake's attention and she maneuvered her way towards Blake.

"Hi Yang. It's been...alright." Blake claims as they both entered the two huge doors leading inside together with the crowd.

"What's up? You don't look too well." Yang asks worriedly.

"I...just feel uncomfortable with the whole partner thing." Blake admits.

"Psh." Yang waves her hand in one downward motion and continues "Don't worry about it Blake. If you're really that worried, I'll be your partner!" Yang finishes as she cracks up a bright smile.

Blake seemingly confused asks "But, uhm, Yang? The group selected for the choosing of partners are random. Not to mention, it's only composed of 20 people per group. I heard there was a schedule."

Yang brushes it off with another wave of her hand and places a finger near Blake's lips. "Mhmm, what did I say? Don't worry Blake. Yang's got this." and finishes it with a wink as she walks confidently with Blake towing behind her.

 _'How could she be so sure?'_ Blake asks herself, almost believing that Yang would actually be able to be her partner and pull it off.

Yang scouts for 4 seats and immediately spots several seats open at the middle section of the auditorium.

"We gotta reserve two more seats." Yang mentions to Blake as they walk over to the seats.

"Two? Ruby and...?" Blake asks as they sat down.

"Oh, Weiss. I get a feeling they're together." Yang claims as she smirks.

Blake's face frowned at the name but she didn't let Yang catch her expression.

* * *

Weiss and Ruby manages to arrive at the auditorium on time unlike before.

Ruby spots Yang in the seated crowd, who could miss that golden hair anyway? She grabs Weiss's hand and pulls gently.

"Come on Weiss, my sister's over there." Ruby smiles at Weiss with a sense of confidence.

Weiss was definitely surprised at the gesture as it was apparent on her face. 'Ruby!' Weiss spoke mentally while blushing slightly.

"Don't touch me, you dolt!" Weiss exasperated words came out faster than usual.

Ruby seemingly ignores Weiss since she walked along with her anyway. She pulled her towards the middle section of the auditorium where Yang and Blake were.

Yang looks at Blake and winks sending out a mental 'Told ya.' to her as if she'd actually receive it. Blake only shrugging.

"Hey Yang. I brought Weiss too if that's okay." Ruby smiles happily as she noticed two seats open for both her and Weiss.

As soon as Blake saw Weiss, she hides casually behind Yang and keeps quiet.

Ruby sits down at Yang's left side. Blake being on the right of Yang, Weiss sits primly on Ruby's left and settled as elegantly as possible, her head focused solely on the podium and stage.

Professor Ozpin took small strides towards the podium. He then leans down a bit, situating himself.

"As all of you _should_ know, Beacon University has recently upheld a system three years ago. This system states that all students should have a partner, or a roommate if you'd like to put it that way. We have started accepting even numbers of students to be able to uphold this and I expect everyone to abide. A lot of you do not really know what this system is for but let me clarify your questions. To put it simply, the system is for anti-bullying. You are to take care of your partner no matter the race, color, religion, etc. If your partner is the problem, then you must report or inform any of our counselor staff. If you are being threatened, we will be installing a GPS tracker on your scrolls and a panic button, if you will. Remember, Beacon is a prestigious school. I expect your behaviors to be manageable if not proper." Professor Ozpin ends the speech and slowly walks away from the podium.

Professor Goodwitch then steps on the stage and onto the podium, getting ready to speak.

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin. Now, students, the schedule of your initiation will be posted on all the bulletin boards around campus. Some will start immediately after this assembly and some will start later on. Don't worry. Your class schedules will not be affected as we took our time to avoid conflicts. This year, Professor Ozpin has decided that the initiation shall be held on the grounds of Forever Fall forest. It is an extensive place and you can easily get lost so I suggest you don't go too deep into the forest as the only structures there are near the entrance. It would be wise to keep an eye out as well. There has been sightings of wild animals such as bears, wolves, and rabid dogs. The assigned professors shall explain how the pairing would be done so wait for further instructions when you get there. You are dismissed." Professor Goodwitch waits for a few seconds before leaving the podium.

Weiss stands up first, not bothering to look at the others. She took strides but was stopped by a crowd of people who thought of leaving the auditorium as well. Her left hand was grabbed by a warmer one and she glances behind her.

"Wait up, princess! Where are you going?" Ruby asks as she held Weiss's left hand with her own.

"Where else should we be going? I'm going to check my schedule, of course! Now stop touching me without permission!" Weiss said fiercely but a clear blush on her face as she takes Ruby's hand off of her own. She waited for the crowd to disperse. She didn't like squeezing her way through a crowd of people.

"You don't have to go alone, princess." Ruby declares with an encouraging small smile. Weiss was taken aback by this but has turned her head forward so that Ruby doesn't notice.

As Yang and Blake moved behind Ruby, Blake overheard their conversation.

"It's heiress, actually. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Diamond Company. One of the largest producers of pure diamonds in Remnant...The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." Blake states as Weiss turns to see Blake.

"Wha-! How dare...the nerve!" Weiss scowls and yells at Blake. She then turned and glares at the students who now looked at her. The students gave way to the heiress as she took strides to exit the auditorium.

Yang chuckles a little at the scene but immediately stops when Ruby looks at her.

"And I thought we were going to get along. I guess my luck ran out." Ruby said, dejected.

"S-Sorry Ruby." Blake apologizes but adds "But I don't think you should be trying to _get along_ with a Schnee. They have been cruel to their laborers, be it human or faunus."

"You're wrong! You don't even know her. Weiss is different. I know it. She's just...misunderstood." Ruby claims with a glare and then walks off to the exit easily since the crowd has dispersed.

* * *

Weiss's steps became slower as she reached the entrance to Beacon. Taking a deep breathe, she composes herself. Spotting a bulletin board with a few students surrounding it, she walked over to check her schedule.

 

> **Dreciel Sapphire - 10:00 AM-11:00 AM**
> 
> **Weiss Schnee - 10:00 AM-11:00 AM**
> 
> **Sepia Brown - 11:00 AM-12:00 PM**
> 
>  

Weiss spots her own name and confirms the schedule time. It was an hour later, she still had time to eat so she started walking towards the dining hall. Her scroll starts to vibrate and produce a melodic tone. She takes it from her pocket and looks at who it was. She stares at the caller for a few moments before answering.

"Hello father. Do you need anything?" Weiss asks politely.

"Yes, Weiss, I wanted to check up on you. I heard that Beacon implemented a silly system. I expect your partner to be of my standards and not cause any _hindrances_ to your studies. I only agreed that you study there so far away from me because Beacon is one of the most suitable places for one such as yourself to pursue knowledge needed to run our company. I expect nothing less from you Weiss." Her father demands.

"Yes, of course father." Weiss answers as her father drops the call without so much as a goodbye. Sighing, Weiss slowly turns to the dormitory and started walking.

Ruby then spots Weiss heading towards the dormitory instead of the dining hall.

 _'She looks a little down.'_ Ruby noticed and starts running towards the dining hall.

"Ruby, what's the hurry?!" Yang asks a little louder than usual.

"I just have to do something! Go eat without me!" Ruby shouts back as she sped through the stoned path.

_'But that's where we're going too.' Yang said inwardly as she gives Blake a small smile. "Guess we're on our own."_

* * *

Weiss opens a door leading to the roof and quietly strolls towards the edge. It was blocked by a metal fence for safety. She then reaches out to grab the metal with her left hand and starts to sing.

 

> **Who am _I_ to complain?**
> 
> **My life's been _spared_ so much pain.**
> 
> **Born with all that I need.**
> 
> **My comfort's all guaranteed.**
> 
>  
> 
> **So, what's the problem?**
> 
> **What's keeping me...**
> 
> **from moving forward?**
> 
> **It's _hard_ to see.**
> 
>  
> 
> **I _should_ be free now.**
> 
> **I _should_ be fine.**
> 
> **But the life I fought for...**
> 
> **still _isn't_ mine.**
> 
>  
> 
> **Some believe in fairy stories...**
> 
> **and the ghosts that they can't see.**
> 
> **I know that I could do so much...**
> 
> **if I could just believe in me.**
> 
>  
> 
> **Mirror, mirror...**
> 
> **tell me something.**
> 
> _**Can I stop my fall?** _
> 
>  
> 
> **Years of scorn will leave you _cold_.**
> 
> **"Forget your dreams. Do what you're told."**
> 
> **When disapproval is all you're shown...**
> 
> **the safest place becomes _alone_.**
> 
>  
> 
> **And isolation's...**
> 
> **the _price_ you pay.**
> 
> **And every friendship...**
> 
> **is pushed _away_.**
> 
>  

Weiss stops singing as she heard footsteps behind her. She immediately eyes Ruby who was holding two apples on her right hand.

"I, uhm, uhh, well...I got worried, and, uhh, I looked for you." Ruby tries to explain herself as fast as she could while rubbing the back of her head.

Weiss stares at Ruby for a while but instead of scowling, her expression unexpectedly became softer.

Ruby took this as a sign to continue. "Uhm, here, I got this for you. You haven't eaten right?" She offers an apple to Weiss.

Weiss hesitantly took it from Ruby's left hand. "Thank...you." She utters softly.

Ruby watches Weiss as she takes a bite of her apple and finally decides to bite her own.

Ruby smiles sheepishly and continued her small talk. "So, you, uhm, you have an amazing voice Weiss. It was so clear and just...mesmerizing."

"Well, I have performed at theaters as a child." Weiss claims, her sense of confidence coming back.

"Weiss...I wanna be your friend. Like I said before, Weiss, you don't have to be alone." Ruby's tone suddenly became serious as she looked Weiss straight in the eyes.

 _'These silver eyes again...I can't help but stare at them.'_ Weiss thought.

"I...I suppose it wouldn't hurt...to try." Weiss admits as she looked away.

Ruby's smile beams at the answer of the heiress.

They both silently ate their apples in a more comfortable atmosphere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heiya! - w-  
> I really enjoyed writing this one. I hope you liked it!  
> The song is called Mirror Mirror Part II by Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams. Go ahead and listen to it if you'd like. It's one of my favorite songs in RWBY.


	4. Forever Fall

As soon as Ruby left the two, Yang apologizes for her baby sister.

"Sorry about my little sister. She's usually more chipper." Yang explains as she walks alongside Blake.

"No. She's right. I don't know Weiss. I got swept along by my hatred towards the Schnees." Blake says while looking a little bit dejected.

Yang looks at Blake with concern, her usual smile gone. "Hey, if you're beating yourself up that much then I'm pretty sure you'll try to get to know Weiss before insulting her again. Don't worry about it too much, Blakey." Yang cracks up a small encouraging smile at the last sentence in hopes of cheering up her feline friend.

Blake's cat ears twitch as she chuckles a little at the notion. "Blakey?"

"Oh, uhh, is that alright?" Yang smiles widely at the now smiling Blake. Her amber eyed friend nods as she accepts the weird but cute nickname.

They both arrive at the dining hall. Yang searches the tables for Ruby but she was nowhere to be found. She catches up to Blake who was already heading off towards the array of food, now being served by some staff.

"Blake, did you see Ruby around?" Yang asks Blake with a hint of worry.

"No. She did say she needed to do something." Blake answers.

Yang speculates at the given puzzle and figures it has something to do with the Ice Queen. Leaving the matter to her baby sister, she grabs a plate and prepares to snag some of the food in front of her.

* * *

Ruby finishes her apple first and watches her newfound friend eat her half-finished one.

"Sooo, I'm doing a culinary course. What about you?" Ruby asks, a little excited. Weiss took the time to finish swallowing her food before turning to Ruby.

"I'm taking up Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Major in Marketing Management." The heiress answered simply before continuing to bite on her almost-finished apple.

"Oh, uh, I major in baking. It's really fun! I really love baking and cooking. Yang said my cakes are really delicious so that makes me ha-" Ruby spew a series of words in excitement but got cut off by the imposing heiress.

"Ruby, I'm going to be late. It takes more than 20 minutes to get to Forever Fall from here so I better leave now." The silver haired heiress declares.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm coming with you." Ruby says with a sheepish smile plastered on her face.

Weiss only stares at Ruby with an unfathomable expression; whether it was relief, joy, or anger, Ruby couldn't tell at all.

"Excuse me?" Confusion apparent in Weiss's tone but it didn't show on her face.

"I have the same schedule, 10-11 AM." The younger girl claims as she exhibits another one of her sheepish smiles.

The older girl turns towards the door and starts walking. "Well then, _we_ better leave now." She stated with a firm tone. Ruby, darting behind the taller girl, kept her smile in place.

* * *

Upon riding the bus sized cable cart, Ruby attempts to talk to the proper and quiet ice princess.

"Any idea on what the headmaster planned this year?" The red hooded girl asks which incites a stare from Weiss.

The ice princess folds her arms and stands tall as she answered "Well, last year, Professor Ozpin determined the pairs by sending his students to Vale in different areas per group and making them do all sorts of community or charity work. They were all evaluated. After that they were paired based on the evaluations according to reports. I'm positive that this year's method shall be somewhat similar to last year's. Professor Ozpin can be very...strange but he has got to have good reasons for how he pairs his students." Weiss finishes with a proud smile.

"Or...he just wanted people doing the dirty work around Vale." Ruby teases and giggles at the thought, flopping down on one of the open chairs.

"Oh please, Ruby, I'm sure Professor Ozpin has a completely good reason as to why he's sending us out to Forever Fall's forest." After sitting down beside Ruby, Weiss retorts with a glare.

Without warning, Weiss pulls Ruby's hood backwards and says "And take off that stupid hood! It is not proper etiquette!" The heiress' actions only inciting a pout from the future chef.

* * *

Arriving near the arc that clearly says 'Forever Fall', both the white and red themed girls gasp for two completely different reasons. One reason being the serene atmosphere and artistic potential that Forever Fall possessed. The other being sap from the trees that could be seen all over Forever Fall.

"Oh my dust, look at all those trees! Look at all those sap producing trees!" Ruby exclaimed as she points out excitedly towards the trees, jumping up and down all the while.

Weiss, caught a little bit off guard, replies with "Wha-? Why would you be excited about trees and sap?"

Ruby then lifts up her forefinger and sways it around with accompanying tsk sounds. She then opens her mouth saying "Dear Weiss, are you saying that you do not know about the quality of wine Forever Fall's tree sap can produce?!"

"Of course not, you dunce! Why would I know such a thing? I didn't come here to be a chef like you!" Weiss retaliates with one of her signature scowls.

Ruby pretends to cough and corrects Weiss. "Pastry chef, actually."

"Oh shut up Ruby." Weiss finishes while walking towards a crowd of students, with Ruby closely behind her.

Professor Oobleck was the teacher in charge. He wasn't the most neat of the professors with his half tucked shirt and loosened necktie but he was a teacher nonetheless. Carrying his iconic mug around and some sheets of paper, he starts talking in a fast manner.

"Alright students, we exactly have an hour to finish this activity. I expect 10 pairs formed by the end of it. There will be several tasks enlisted on these sheets of paper. I'd like you to choose one task and perform your absolute best!" He declares rapidly as he gave the papers to some students, gesturing them to pass it around.

Both Ruby and Weiss took their time looking at the list of tasks on the paper that was given to them. Ruby had thought of doing the easiest task available while Weiss thought about getting the task that looked most rewarding.

The red hooded girl had settled for sweeping the red leaves that were scattered all around. Forever Fall was indeed a forest but since there were cobbled pathways and tables made out of stone with matching sets of chairs to go along with it, it was also considered to be a relaxing park for the people of Vale. A large section of the forest has been fenced off for very obvious reasons such as to keep wild animals at bay. Of course, some teenagers had branded the mysterious forest beyond the fence as a place to conduct courage tests and the such.

The heiress had chosen a much more complicated task. She chose to check the perimeter for any discrepancies and the fence for any damage. Now, the forest wasn't exactly small. Heck, it was half the size of Vale. Luckily, she wasn't tasked to check everything, just what she could. She convinced herself that this task was a reasonable one. She couldn't imagine having to cook street food or having to escort children who were there for a field trip.

Strolling near the fence, Weiss noticed a familiar red hooded girl sweeping all the leaves with unnecessary fast movements. She contemplated on whether to call her out or not. Her thoughts, however, were distracted by the wolf about to eat a rose.

"A rose?" Weiss had uttered out loud without thinking.

"Hmm?" Ruby turned around to look at who it was. She immediately smiled at the sight of Weiss and moved a little bit closer to her.

"Weiss! Did you say something?" Ruby asked with an sheepish smile plastered on her face.

"Oh, I was just...admiring the design on the back of your vest." Weiss hesitated a bit at her own answer.

"This? Yeah, it's cool right? It's custom made. My mom had the same rose design on her clothes. I just added the wolf..." Ruby looked away for a bit however she focused again on Weiss's face with a forced small smile.

"Why would the wolf look like it's about to eat your mother's rose symbol?" Weiss said with a genuine concerned look.

Ruby hesitated a bit but seemingly decided to talk about it in the end. "The rose symbolizes both me and my mom. I added the wolf because...well, because I lost her to one. It might be weird that I would add a wolf after all that but...I dunno it just made sense to me at the time."

"I'm sorry to hear that Ruby and I'm sorry for being insensitive. Although, if you don't mind me asking, why a rose?" Weiss asked curiously as she looked apologetic.

"Oh, uhh, my name's Ruby Rose. Sorry, I only ever said my first name, huh?" Ruby said with another one of her sheepish smiles, seemingly over her moment of sadness.

"I see. That makes sense now. Well, Ruby, I have to be going. Good luck with your task." Weiss spoke primly with a concerned smile and then turned around.

"Alright Weiss. Good luck to you too!" Ruby says while waving goodbye to her white clothed companion in an excited manner.

* * *

While walking along the fence, Weiss finally found something unusual. A reasonable sized wooden board was tilting over the fence. Thinking that it was suspicious, she went ahead and took the board to set it aside. There was a clear hole through the fence; it was big enough for people to pass through. The heiress wouldn't let this slip, of course, so she pulled out her scroll and begun to make a call.

However, while her scroll was connecting, Weiss saw three people in the forest. They seemed young so Weiss concluded that they were the formentioned notorious teenagers.

"This is Forever Fall Fence Control. How may I help you?" A masculine voice answered over the scroll.

"Ah, yes, this is Weiss Schnee. I called to inform you of a hole through the fence that I had discovered. It is in section 7-4. Also, I have spotted three individuals inside the forest. They seem to be going deeper in." Weiss declared in a matter of fact way.

Sighing, the man over the scroll soon replied "That's the third one this month. These kids sure give us a lot of work. I'll be sending over personnel so they could handle it. Thank you for the report Miss Weiss Schnee."

After the call ended, Weiss wanted to pat herself on the back as she smiled to herself.

A few moments passed and Weiss saw two individuals rushing towards the hole from the other side. Concerned, Weiss grabbed the shirt of one of them as they passed through.

"What is going on? Why are you running?" The heiress demanded from the young boy.

"There were packs of wolves trying to get us! We're going to call for help! Kim is still back there man!" The young boy said in a hurry and panic.

Weiss lets go of the young boy and glances towards the hole. _'I have to do something.'_ she thought while looking around. She saw a detached pipe near where she had set the wooden board. Grabbing it, she rushes through the hole.

"Hey lady! It's dangerous!" The young boy had shouted.

Glancing back with a determined exression, Weiss yells "Don't worry about me! Get help!"

Weiss had never done anything so rash before but she felt that she needed to do this. She doesn't even know where she should go. She aimlessly ran through the trees, searching for this person named Kim. After what felt like days, she heard a small cry for help in the distance. She found a girl sitting onto the floor with her hands up acting as her last defense.

Weiss quickly stepped between the girl and the pack of wolves. Audible growls were heard by several wolves in front of her. Her heart rate increased and she became nervous. Weiss had never done anything so bold and she certainly has never protected someone else like this. Usually, she was the reason why people needed protecting.

On her left hand was her detached pipe, she gripped it accordingly and raised it. _'Remember your training, Weiss. Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward...not that forward. Slow your breathing. It'll be okay, I've fenced for 8 years. I can do this.'_

One of the wolves suddenly launched itself towards Weiss and she held her pipe up to defend herself from the sharp claws.

 _'This is bad. I've never fought animals before let alone with a pipe.'_ Weiss concluded that it was best to run away from these vicious creatures.

"Kim right? I need you to stand up right now and run!" Weiss had demanded authoritatively that left no room for arguments.

The wolf had tried to bite her and Weiss was barely able to hold it off. She glanced back and yelled "Well?! Go now!"

The young girl immediately got up and ran, seemingly shocked by her savior in a white dress.

Weiss faced the wolves with renewed confidence knowing that at least the young girl was safe. She gathered her strength and pushed the wolf off of her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ruby who was sitting down on one of the stone benches sees the two boys running with panicked looks in their faces.

"Whoa whoa whoa! What's with all the rushing?" Ruby said while standing up with a smile not knowing the trouble that had conspired.

"Wolves! Kim's in trouble and a lady in white went inside the forest to save her!" The young boy yelled as they ran non-stop.

Ruby's eyes widen at this new information. She quickly grabbed her rake and bolted towards where the two had come from.

* * *

Another wolf was preparing to attack, as it launched into the air, Weiss was more than ready and swung her pipe, hitting the wolf and causing it to fall over to the side. The wolf quickly recovered and clawed Weiss causing her to raise her pipe for defense. The wolf to her left took the opportunity and clawed Weiss's face. She fell backwards with a scream of pain, still holding off the other wolf with her pipe. Blood imminently poured over Weiss's left eye and cheeks.

Ruby had heard the scream and spotted Weiss on the ground with a wolf above her. She fearlessly charged towards the wolf and screamed her lungs out. She held her rake firmly and shoved the wolf off of Weiss.

"Weiss! Are you okay?!" Ruby yelled with concern but soon she stepped between Weiss and the pack of wolves.

This seemed awfully familiar to Weiss and she refuses to leave Ruby behind if that's what she wanted.

However, Ruby unexpectedly kept shouting and waved around her rake and arm. She was determined to scare off the wolves, appearing as tall as she could.

The wolves had been taken aback by the newcomer and stood their ground for a while. Soon, personnel came to their rescue and the wolves had retreated.

"Weiss, are you okay? You're bleeding so much." With genuine concern, Ruby had looked at Weiss with tears dropping from her eyes.

"I...I'm fine Ruby." Weiss said covering her left eye. There were three slashes across her left eye. Two slashes were considerably small but the middle slash was big enough that it would probably leave a scar.

* * *

Ruby stood there and stared at Weiss who was being cared for by a medical team sent by Forever Fall Fence Control. She felt very pained to see Weiss hurt but there was a sense of relief that nothing lethal had happened. Several questions were formed in Ruby's head as she continued to stare at Weiss.

"The cut in the middle is a little deep but it's nothing to worry about. It'll heal with time, for now please bear with the bandage. You're going to lack eye sight but at least it wouldn't get infected." One of the medic had explained to Weiss as she left to check in with her team.

Ruby took the opportunity to get closer to Weiss, her face still plastered with concern. "Weiss? How are you feeling?"

Weiss turned to her, still sitting down on the bench. She moved her arms to her chest and had an indifferent look on her face. "Well, if you must know Ruby, I'm not feeling very chipper. I have no idea why I had acted the way I did. I put myself in danger. If I was thinking normally, I would've just waited for the perso—" Weiss paused for a bit and realized something. "—It's because of you."

"W-What?" Ruby was greatly surprised at the sudden finger that was pointed at her.

"You. I had become irrational because of your...mother's death—I apologize—I don't intend to be rude. I just meant that I couldn't stand the thought of someone being hurt by a wolf after our conversation. People shouldn't have to suffer from loss just like that. It must be very silly to act this way just because of a conversation." Weiss had looked away at this point, her arms falling towards her lap.

"No, it's not silly, Weiss. I'm glad that you care but don't ever do that again. It's dangerous." Ruby smiled sheepishly at the heiress. She lifted up her hand and patted Weiss on the head as gently as she could.

The heiress was taken by surprise and couldn't contain her blush. "W-Wha—Don't touch me!"

"I'm just glad you're okay, Weiss." Ruby continued to smile at her brightly as she removed her hand.

"You dunce." Weiss said in a more embarrassed way than a threatening one. "Let's just go report to Professor Oobleck."

As Weiss stood up in grace-like fashion, one of personnel—a tall and masculine individual—approached her. "Miss Schnee? Here, take this. Thank you for your service. Not many people would leap into danger to save others. You're very commendable." He reached out his hand towards the heiress to give a plastic-like figure.

Weiss took the figure and looked at it carefully. "This is?" She asked curiously.

"It's something Doctor Oobleck will look for later. Just keep it with you for now." He smiled warmly and walked away.

The red clothed girl took a good look at the figure that was in Weiss's hands. "It's a rose!" She smiled cheekily.

"Yes Ruby, I know. It's crafted expertly, the plastic makes it look like it's made of ice." Weiss's lips curled up slightly, appreciating the work of art in her hands.

While walking, the two had spotted an old man with a magnificent beard. Ruby started waving cheerily at him.

"Hello Ruby Rose." The old man smiled faintly in a warm way. "Here, take thi—Did something happen?" His eyes dart towards the heiress with a bandage over her left eye.

"Oh, uhh, some incident beyond the fence. But we're alright now!" Ruby said the last words with another sheepish smile, taking the item that the old man held out for her.

Ruby's eyes widened and produced a glint. "Weiss, look! I have it too!" She said with a wide smile, brandishing her ice flower.

Weiss just dismissed it as it seemed to be part of the initiation. "Let's just go Ruby, we'll be late." She said as she walked off.

Ruby took the time to wave at the old man before following her friend.

* * *

Students had begun to form a small crowd before Professor Oobleck. Upon the arrival of the two, he had walked towards them with a judging look. "Girls, what had happened?" He exasperated with a small gesture with his mug.

"Professor Oobleck, sir—" Weiss started.

" _Doctor_ Oobleck." He interjected.

"Doctor Oobleck, there was an incident with my task..." Weiss explained everything to Doctor Oobleck thoroughly while Ruby whistled quietly.

"I see. I'll be calling the Forever Fall Fence Control in a moment's notice. For now, please gather with the rest of the girls." The doctor instructed  as he gestured towards the small crowd with his mug.

"Students, I'm sure you're all excited to know who your partner will be. Let me tell you right now that you'll be assigned to your partner at this very moment." As he claimed, the students were either showing concerned or panicked faces.

"You'll be partnered with the person who has the same item as you. The item that you've acquired from your respective task giver. Go ahead then, find your partners. After that you're dismissed. You may keep the items. Also, the dormitory chief will be informed of the partners as we know who took what task and what item was given to them." The doctor simply said as he took a sip from his mug.

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other at this point. Ruby was smiling widely however the heiress did not find this amusing. The red hooded girl suddenly realized this and wore a concerned face. "What's wrong Weiss? Don't you want to be partners with me?" She asked.

Weiss only stared at Ruby for a moment and gave out an exasperated sigh. "Ruby, I'm willing to be your friend but being partners...that's unacceptable."

Ruby became dejected at hearing those words from the heiress.

"I would rather be partners with Pyrrha Nikos or someone commendable." Weiss declared knowing that her father will soon know about this and that he will not take this lightly.

Ruby opened her mouth but no words came out. Weiss took the opportunity to turn around and walk away, leaving Ruby behind.

"I'll be going back to the dormitory." Weiss had mentioned before walking further away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Hey~ - w-  
> I hope you guys enjoy this one. Thank you for reading.


	5. A Schnee

Weiss arrives at the dormitory with Ruby towing behind her. Weiss sighs visibly as she admitted to herself  _'I really wouldn't mind this awkward girl to be my partner. It just means that we'll be sharing a room. It hardly shouldn't even matter as a roommate wouldn't be able to affect my studies.'_ Weiss turns around and looks at Ruby.  _'I think I can persuade my father to accept this...dork.'_

"Weiss, is something wrong?" Ruby asks, starting to blush a little. Weiss had been staring at her directly for a while now.  _'She really is pretty even if she has her left eye covered up._ _'_

"Oh." Weiss blinks as her face slightly turned to a shade of pink. Weiss turns away quickly to hide her embarrassment.  _'Ugh, what's wrong with me? I've been off guard ever since I met this Ruby Rose.'_ She said to herself inwardly.

"It's nothing, Ruby. I was just thinking." Weiss finishes as she turns to Ruby in a more composed manner. She looks at Ruby with her right eye for a little while more and asks her a question.

"Ruby, do you not have any classes?" The girl in white utters in an inquisitive voice.

"Oh, uhh, I do but it's still after lunch. What about you?" Ruby inquired as she thought  _'Maybe I could prove to Weiss that I'm not so bad. Maybe I can even become her best friend!'_ very positively.

"Yes, at 1 o'clock PM, I have a class on oral communication." Weiss answers without much hesitation for the simple question.

"Great! We can have lunch together. I bet you're hungry since we only had an apple for breakfast." Ruby said in a rush while fishing her pocket for her scroll. She looks at the time, it was 11:31 AM.

"Perfect, let's go to the cafeteria!" The girl in red dictates as she grabs Weiss' left hand again so that she couldn't escape and drags her towards the cafeteria.  _'I'm definitely going to be able to pull this off. I mean, she has no choice. We're already partners.'_ Ruby nodded confidently in silence as she continues to walk with Weiss in tow, smiling.

* * *

 Weiss had let the redhead pull her hand until they arrived at the dining hall. Silently looking at Ruby, a thought crossed her mind. _'No. No. No. No. Weiss Schnee you are not, **definitely not** , letting any of your emotions out. Especially not towards this Ruby.'_ She argued inwardly while she lets go of Ruby. Midway towards the dining hall she had unconsciously held Ruby's right hand a little tighter than before.

"Well, we're here. You okay, Weiss?" Ruby asks happily, a smile apparent on her face. She had not expected Weiss to be quiet and submissive even just for this little walk. She also didn't expect her to hold her hand any tighter than it was in the beginning, it lifted her spirits and confidence.

 "Oh, yes. I'm fine, Ruby. Let's go get lunch." Weiss answers Ruby swiftly. She didn't want anymore questions going her way, there were already questioning eyes of other students gazing at her after all.  _'Finish eating, head back to the dorm to fix my belongings, find...our room, move my belongings there, find an excuse to leave Ruby, and call her father. Simple.'_ Weiss mentally checked her list of things to do as she nodded.

They both look for an open table in the busy dining hall, it was surely lunch time. Ruby finds a nearly open table, an occupant of it had a familiar face to her. She calls the princess to follow her to the table.

"Hey...Jaune?" Unsure if it really is him, Ruby smiles awkwardly at him.

Jaune turns his head and says "Oh, hey Ruby and...Weiss." His smile turns into a look of concern upon seeing the heiress.

The girls took their seats, Ruby on the right of Weiss, they started to eat their meals.

"Uhm, Weiss? Why do you have a bandage all over your, uh, eye?" Jaune asks a little nervously as he attempts to smile.

"Oh, we had a little incident at the park." Ruby explains the rest of the story to Jaune.

"Well, it's a good thing you guys didn't get really hurt, y'know?" Jaune nods and smiles at Ruby, glancing at Weiss as well.

Jaune attempts to change the subject. "So, uhh, Weiss, I couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me this morning." Jaune smiles awkwardly. "Hi, I'm Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you." Jaune reaches out his hand towards Weiss.

"You've got to be kidding me." Weiss says without hesitation. Ruby looking at Weiss with a little concern.

"So...you already went to Forever Fall. Who became your partner?" Jaune persistently continued their conversation.

Ruby interjected with a smile and pointed to herself excitedly. "I—"

"—Ruby is my _partner_. I assume you know her?" Weiss interrupted with a seemingly fake smile.

The redhead's face suddenly became a shade of red upon hearing the heiress' fond reply, never minding at all the interruption.

 "Oh, uh yeah, I see." Jaune says his smile unwavering. He gives Ruby a look and examined her face.  _'Ruby's face is so red? What is up? Is she sick?'_ The blonde boy thought.

The girls had finished eating. Weiss glances at Ruby and her food before looking at Jaune. "Well, Jaune Arc, I suppose we should be leaving. We still have to unpack our belongings."

Jaune nods and smiles at Weiss. "Alright, sure. I'll see you guys later."

Ruby waves at Jaune and follows the heiress who was already walking towards the dining hall doors. The stares and glances of students not disappearing.

"So, where we headed?" Ruby chirps as she follows the heiress. She noticed that they were headed towards the dormitory.

"The Dormitory. I would like to unpack, remember?" Weiss utters without looking back.

"Oh, right." Ruby chuckles awkwardly, still following the heiress.  _'I thought she just wanted to get away as soon as she can. Weiss is so diligent. I guess I should unpack as well.'_  

* * *

Weiss had finished unpacking first so she went ahead and told Ruby she needed to go to the restroom. Each room had a small one.

Weiss frowned as she walked towards the restroom, all the while picking up her scroll from her pocket. She sets foot inside the restroom and locks the door. She looks at her phone and searches for 'Father' in her phone's directory. Her phone vibrates in her hand, it connects as expected and she readies herself.

"Hello Weiss, is this important?" Weiss' father answered.

"Good afternoon father. I just wanted to report that I have been assigned a partner. Her name is Ruby Rose." Weiss greeted her father seemingly nonchalant.

"Hmm, I see. Her background? I don't think I've heard this Ruby Rose before." Her father asks without much strain.

"She aspires to be a pastry chef and takes up a culinary course. I assure you that she will not affect any of my studies." Weiss swiftly said with practiced tone and confidence.

"I'll take your word for it for now, Weiss. I'm quite busy. I'll call again some other time." Her father quickly said.

"Yes father, good bye." Weiss replied with a smile.

Weiss was obviously happy about the result. She opens the door and a redhead fell backwards.

"Ruby?! Were you eavesdropping?!" Weiss suddenly spoke furiously at such behavior.

"I, uhh, I-I was just curious! I saw you pick up your phone an—" Ruby uttered nervously with her hands up as if ready to defend herself.

The heiress visibly calmed herself. "—I suppose it can't be helped. Just don't do that again, Ruby." Weiss said a lot more calmly now.

"Uhh, sure." The redhead spoke with a small smile. "So, what did you talk about with your father anyway? I couldn't really hear much." Ruby mentioned as she sat on her proclaimed bed.

Weiss did the same and sat down. "My father likes to know every bit of my...life. He says it is because I'm the heiress to the company and that I have responsibilities and an image to uphold. I should always be on top of my classes." She said in a matter of fact way as if she'd said this so many times before.

"Wow, that must be stressful and heavy on the shoulders." Ruby responded taking it all in and speculating on how the princess was raised.

Weiss smiled tiredly. "You have no idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again.
> 
> Sorry for not being able to update. I've been busy with a lot of other things. I'll be picking this up again. Although I'm still not sure about a regular update schedule, we'll see.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate any comments, reactions, feedbacks, constructive criticism, etc that you guys give me. I know a lot of people already read this but a small confirmation is always welcome. :3


	6. Natural

Lights had been off for a time now but Ruby was hardly asleep. Both of them didn't have much classes during the day and it was still fairly early however the princess has declared that they sleep early tonight. Ruby could imagine Weiss already sleeping as she seemed tired from all the fiasco that happened. The redhead's scroll rings and vibrates a moment later and Ruby frantically reaches for it, knowing that it might wake up the sleeping princess.

 _'I should put this on silent for now.'_ Ruby thought inwardly. As she opened her scroll, she quickly went through the settings. Sighing, Ruby looked at the message that she had received. It was from Yang.

"Hey lil sis, what room are ya in? Aaand who's your partner? ;)" It read. Ruby smiles at this at the thought of her sister teasing her. She then types in a reply. "I'm in Room 304 and, can you believe it, my partner's Weiss! :D" Ruby excitedly sent.

When Yang didn't reply for some time, Ruby went ahead and sent another message. "Oh and lights out already here, Weiss wanted to sleep early. I'm boooored."

Her scroll lit up indicating that there's a message. "That's great Rubes. Blake became my partner. ;D Although, fair enough, I _sort of_ cheated but that's a story for another time and not to mention a secret from Blake. Anyway, sorry sis, I suddenly became busy. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Ruby's smile didn't hold when she read the last bits of that message. She was alone again with her thoughts, twisting herself on the bed and laying on her right side. She has a good view of the princess from there. She didn't know if it was skill or just a habit but Weiss was just laying down like she was in a coffin without moving an inch for the longest time now. If not for the visible stomach going up and down, she might've thought that she's dead.

 _'Weiss sleeps so peacefully. I wonder if she's dreaming?'_ Ruby talked inwardly. Ruby suddenly had an urge to look at the princess a little closer. She stood up from the bed and walked over to her target's bed.  _'Yep, she's sleeping soundly. I wonder if her wound hurts. Probably not anymore.'_ Ruby continued to stare at Weiss like she was a piece of painting on a wall inside a museum of art. She then noticed that she was staring too much and found herself embarrassed, blushing furiously all the while.

Ruby steps back to retreat to her bed but to her surprise she had stepped on something cylindrical which forced her to tumble onto Weiss on her bed. "Oof!" was the only noise Ruby could make.

The princess awakens inevitably so. "Ah!" She opens her eyes and barely sees what's going on. Ruby's head was on her stomach and her right hand accidentally above her chest. Panic crosses Weiss' face as she frantically shouted "Ruby! What in the world are you doing!?"

Ruby instantly pushed herself off the bed and looks at a furious Weiss who was blushing, it would've been hard to tell because of the dark but Ruby had good vision. "I-I-I, uhh, I'm sorry! I just tripped over! I swear it's an accident! And I, uhh, there was this thing—" Ruby spouted her heart off.

"—Alright, Ruby, calm down. Just-Just...!" Weiss said, trying to do what she preached and composes herself. The heiress was not expecting this at all but she knew what she needed to say. "Let's just go back to sleep, Ruby." Weiss dismissed her roommate and watches as Ruby goes back to her bed. She definitely didn't want to think about how Ruby got there at all.

 _'This dunce. I swear, I won't be able to make it, at the end of the semester, if this keeps up.'_ Weiss thought to herself as she drifts back to sleep.

* * *

A week has passed and Weiss was having problems, more specifically she was having Ruby problems. Ruby had been...extra nice and quirky to her but she's also become a welcome distraction to her studies.

Now, Weiss would think that her roommate couldn't possibly affect her studies and she promised her father that it won't but certainly that was starting to become a lie.

Weiss knew that Ruby's break from class was in a few minutes. She also knew that Ruby would be bursting through the door any moment now with another ridiculous request or a self-proclaimed great adventure that they could impart on.

And soon enough, Ruby did burst through the door shouting "Weiss! Let's go to the cafeteria! I heard they were serving coo-I mean tea and cakes!"

 _'This loud, obnoxious, ador-dork. Couldn't she think that I could be studying? Which I am.'_ Weiss mentally thought, she then opened her mouth after sighing "Ruby, I'm studying."

"Oh come on Weiss! You always study, you could use breaks once in a while."

"Ruby, you ask me to do things with you almost every day."

"You need breaks everyday! You'll look older than your age if you keep being stern like that. Just imagine your dad!"

"Ugh, fine." Weiss finally agrees to Ruby's antics, knowing that the girl was only so adamant on going because of the cookies.

Weiss closes her books and notebooks then stacks them up neatly before leaving with Ruby to the cafeteria.

* * *

The two had entered the premises of the dining hall and Ruby immediately rushes over to the table where different kinds of pastries were displayed and organized.

The heiress could imagine Ruby's eyes almost popping at the sight of the delicacies. She smiles a bit at this. Having someone like Ruby had made her days in the school relaxing to say the least. It was as if Ruby had carried around an atmosphere that makes people smile or ease up.

Weiss follows the dork to the table and sees what seems like blueberry and cheese cake, her favorite. The heiress was curious if their cake was delicious as Ruby said they'd be, so she takes a plate and puts the cake on it with tongs. She then thought about getting tea with it but an unfamiliar face blocked her.

He was tan skinned with dark blue eyes, messy light blue hair that's shaved be on the sides and in the back, an undercut. He smiled at the heiress confidently and opens his mouth to speak.

"Hey, the name's Neptune. What might your name be, snow angel?"

Weiss looks at Neptune in a rather nonchalant demeanor. "Weiss. Weiss Schnee. I'm afraid I have to ask you to move aside." Weiss smiles.

Neptune moves aside swiftly to the heiress side. He has heard this girl's name before. She was the daughter of a billion dollar company. "Of course, snow angel."

Ruby notices both of them being fairly close to each other, somehow, this didn't sit quite right for Ruby. She moves towards them with a tray of pastries and hot chocolate.

"H-Hey Weiss, wanna go look for a table?" She asked, a little nervous. She wasn't one to be overly friendly with new people.

Weiss turns her head towards her roommate after getting tea. "Yes, let us go. Some other time then, Neptune?"

Ruby noticed Weiss having that usual not exactly genuine smile plastered on her face and knew this wasn't something to be worried about.  _'Why would I even be worried anyway?'_ Ruby was suddenly confused at her thoughts and feelings but she admitted that she was more relaxed now.

Neptune had nodded and walked towards a guy with wild blonde hair that seemingly didn't follow the school's dress code.

Weiss was back to Ruby's side in no time. Just as it has been for the past week.

They walked towards an empty table that the redhead had pointed out. Weiss was staring at Ruby's back again, for the twelfth time that week. It seemed that them being together felt almost natural.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Thanks again for reading. I had fun writing this one.


	7. After Classes

On an earlier time, the day after being assigned a partner, the sun was about to set. Weiss reached for her book silently so that she could put it in her bag and leave the classroom. The day had ended so soon, the heiress wasn't really in a hurry to go back to the dormitory just to pick up a book again and study. Honestly, she was feeling rather lonely...but that never changes. She didn't expect it to change. Not with the way things are.

The heiress then hears familiar loud thumping footsteps outside in the hallway. She had an inkling on who it was. Someone who wears red and black a lot, who else would be running around the halls at this time of the day? Even the club activities should be done by now.

Ruby pops her head through the doorway.  _'I knew it.'_ Weiss breathes slowly, relaxing herself.

"Weiss! I finally found you!" Ruby shouts with a wide smile that can almost blind its targets.

"Indeed, you've found me. What do you want Ruby?" Weiss responds calmly. She didn't want unnecessary stress after the past few days, she was going to look old if that continued.

"Oh right!" Ruby fumbles around her bag and pulls out a notebook while she walks to Weiss.

"Here, it's my schedule. Copy it! I also need yours." Ruby grins sheepishly.

"Oh and, I passed! I'm on the track and field team now!!" She continues excitedly.

"Ruby, why do you need my schedule? And why on Remnant would I want yours?" Weiss retorts the idea.

"Oh come on Weiss, don't be like that. We're partners, buddies, friends.....BFFs!" Ruby insisted.

Weiss puts her hand on her head, shaking it slowly. "No, we barely know each other Ruby."

"Exactly why we should get to know each other better! Besides, the reason for partners is to lessen bullies! If I didn't know what was happening to you at any given time, it would be terrible!" Ruby reasons out, pointing a finger towards the roof.

 _'This girl probably won't stop pestering me about this. Let's weigh our choices. Ruby bothering me all the time or give up this information so this could end here? Definitely the latter.'_ Weiss concluded.

"Alright, Ruby. But for your information, you're the one most likely to end up getting bullied, not me. And..." Weiss stops to think about this.  _'And if she does get bullied or injured? It's going to sully my reputation...his reputation. I suppose I have no choice but to protect this dunce.'_

"And what? What is it?" Ruby impatiently says.

"We should exchange numbers as well. In case you're in trouble, just contact me." Weiss tries to smile but it's visibly strained.

Ruby's eyes sparkles by this though and hurriedly grabs her scroll from her pocket. "Oookay!"

After they exchanged numbers Ruby adds "Weiss, you don't have to act when you're with me."

The heiress was caught off guard by this. "Huh?"

"I mean, no need for those fake smiles you always make. Don't think I don't notice, Weiss. I'm your friend! I want you to be honest with me and I'll be the same." Ruby grins at Weiss.

Weiss' expression softens by this.  _'Honest huh? That's something I think I've forgotten to be.'_

"You might regret telling me to be honest, Ruby." Weiss smiles again at the thought. She knew she wasn't the nicest people on Remnant. Definitely not.

Ruby smiles. "Nope! Seeing you smile for real is definitely worth it." She replies, popping the p of the first word.

Weiss was caught off guard yet again. Standing up as soon as she feels her face burning. Weiss was blushing and wanted to hide. She ultimately hurled her bag towards Ruby but it misses, of course. "You dunce! Let's just go home! Ugh!" Running towards the door, she picked up her bag. She then waits for Ruby so that they can leave.

Ruby laughs at her friend's antics. "Yeah."

They walk through the hallways in comfortable silence. Ruby starts "By the way, will you join any clubs?"

A simple question to the heiress. "No, I will not."

"Any particular reason?" Ruby gives a small smile.

"I won't join because I have duties to my studies. I have no time for club activities especially when the only purpose of those clubs is for socialization." Weiss answers in a matter of fact way.

"So, you're an introvert?" Ruby grins and pokes fun at the heiress.

"I'll have you know, Ruby! I have attended many parties since I was a mere child! So no! I am not an introvert." Weiss said with her dignity intact.

"You're just no fun then?" Ruby continues with a wider grin than before.

"Ruby Rose, how dare you!? I can be plenty fun when I want to be! I'm just busy with my studies, that's all." Weiss shouts, a little offended.

"Hmm, studies are important to you then. Yeah, I can respect that." Ruby concluded, her teasing grin gone.

"Will you really respect it though?" After composing herself for a moment, Weiss said in an almost teasing manner.

"Hey! Of course I will!"

Weiss knew that was far from the truth. The girl beside her was already prone to cause trouble for her the past few days.

When the heiress didn't say anything, Ruby continued to talk. "So, I was wondering you could come watch me run. Y'know, just sit there at the benches, relax a little. We could go home afterwards!"

 _'Is this girl doing it on purpose? Either that or she's just a really clueless and innocent girl.'_ Weiss sighs at the thought and turns her head towards Ruby, only finding her wide smile.  _'Clueless and innocent it is. I guess I'll just tell her.'_ She concluded.

"Ruby, that just sounds like a guy wanting his girlfriend to come see him run while she waits, finishing with the two of them heading home together." Weiss explains as best as she could without thinking about it, knowing that she'll probably blush if she thinks too much about this.

Ruby's wide smile drops slowly and turns into a small smile and a blush. "Well, if you put it like that it'd sound sweet! But we're friends, Weiss!"

An awkward tension has slowly built up between them and Weiss refuses to let that tension rise.

"Fine, I'll come by once in a while when I want to relax or something." Weiss surrenders.

"Yay!" Ruby's blush was replaced by another wide smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I haven't really been feeling well so I suppose you could say that I'm writing to ease some piece of mind.  
> I'm writing mostly for myself. Maybe someday I'll be able to write for others.


	8. Someday

It was the second week since school started and Weiss had become used to a routine. She was on the bleachers with a notebook in hand. The heiress had come to watch her roommate run. However, she didn't want Ruby to think that she focuses on only her, thus her notebook. She always thought the word _lonely_ was something that she'd always have but nowadays she doesn't have the time to be sad. The redhead had, one way or another, kept her company.

Ruby's form was firm yet elegant. She looked like she was flying off silently around the field. Weiss had taken a liking to watching Ruby but she'll never admit that to her.

Ruby had noticed Weiss on the bleachers, who wouldn't? She was the only person there and her princess-like demeanor wasn't any less eye catching. Waving enthusiastically, Ruby smiled widely at the heiress. Weiss had come fairly often to her after school club activities, nobody could really blame Ruby for being happy.

The heiress smiles softly and waves back in a calmer way. However at that moment, her scroll chooses to ring and vibrate. Upon taking her scroll from her pocket, she frowns at what she sees. Her father was calling her. She hasn't talked to her father ever since she contacted him about Ruby but she knew that every time her father called, it wasn't for anything good or pleasant.

"Good afternoon, father." Weiss answers politely.

"Weiss, I've looked at this Ruby Rose's profile." Her father starts.

 _'Here we go.'_ Weiss thought as she closed her eyes.

"She doesn't have any bad records but she's not the best student in class either. If you'd like, I can pull some strings to change your partner. It wouldn't be that hard." Weiss' father suggested nonchalantly, trusting his daughter would agree as she always has.

"That won't be necessary, father. As I've said before, rest assured that Ruby won't be affecting my studies." Weiss said not letting her father detect her hopeful voice.

Jacques, her father, had risen one of his eyebrow at this clear denial of his suggestion. He had stopped leaning back on his chair and his voice became a little more firm. "Hmm, I see. I suppose I can trust your decision. You haven't failed me _yet_. Then...I'll just send someone to watch over your grades. Of course, they'll be reporting _everything_ to me."

"Yes father. Might I know who you'll be sending?" Weiss responded calculatingly as her frown became more apparent.

"That'll not be necessary. He will not be interfering with your school life. I'll specifically tell him to observe and report. Anyway, Weiss, that is all. I'm still fairly busy with work." Jacques replies with an iron resolve then ends the call.

Weiss swings her left hand down along with her scroll. She looks at the field in search for Ruby but she wasn't there, so are the other track and field members.

"Weiss." The redhead suddenly said. She was near the foot of the bleachers to her right. Ruby goes up the bleachers and eventually stops where Weiss was at.

"You okay? You don't look so good." Ruby said with a concerned look and small encouraging smile.

Weiss stares at Ruby for some time before answering. "Ruby, it's nothing. Let's go home." Weiss dismissed as she stood up, earning Ruby's confused stare.

"Well, okay, if you say so." Ruby replies as she follows Weiss down the bleachers.

* * *

Weiss knew that she needed to make a decision. Ruby had been taking the heiress' time more than she wanted to admit to her father. It wasn't going to be pleasant if the person that her father sends reported that to him. She was going to have to say goodbye to the time she spent with Ruby no matter how much fun and relaxing it was.

However, there was still a slight chance to make this less...inconvenient. If her father sees no problem with her life at school, he might send whoever it is home.  _'I know for a fact that he isn't only concerned about my studies.'_ Weiss concluded.

Weiss sighs and covers her face with a pillow. She wanted to scream.  _'How much longer am I going to be controlled?'_ She said inwardly as she places her pillow back to her stomach. She glances at Ruby assuming that she was already asleep. Ruby was certainly sleeping soundly, probably tired from practice. She thought of how nice it could be to be free like her.

Memory of the redhead running freely through the field came to the heiress' mind.  _'Someday...'_ She thought as she falls asleep.

* * *

As usual, Ruby wakes up before Weiss. Not to say that Weiss woke up late, Ruby just wakes up a tad earlier than her. Ruby had the time to silently stare at the heiress as she slept. She really was beautiful, her white silver hair was silky, Ruby wished to stroke it with her hand. She had no clue as to why these thoughts kept popping up in her head but she did her best to pay it no mind or reason out that it was the heiress' fault for being a princess. Nevertheless, Ruby thought of Weiss as a precious friend.

Speaking of, the princess had started to mumble in her sleep. The words, though, were hard to understand. Ruby stands up and took a couple of strides to get near Weiss in hopes of understanding her. The heiress, however, suddenly jerked her left hand in upward motion as if reaching out for something. Ruby knew exactly what to do.

Ruby took Weiss' hand in hers and started to speak in a reassuring voice. "Weiss, hey, it's alright. I'm here."

Visibly, the heiress expression softens and her hand together with Ruby's lowered back to her stomach. Ruby didn't anticipate being trapped in this way. Slowly, Ruby's face became bright red. She then decided to quietly and gently slip out of the heiress' soft grip.

Having successfully pulled her hand out, she sighed in relief. Ruby leaves the heiress and prepares to take a shower. She'll wake her up after she's dressed, as always.

As she turns on the knob for the water to come pouring down, Ruby's mind starts to wonder why she felt like they've known each other for years. There was always a gentle but familiar atmosphere that she felt whenever she's around. It was similar to the time she, Yang, and her parents were simply eating breakfast together during the morning. To put it simply, it was nice. Weiss wasn't the nicest person around, Ruby knew, but she can't help but want to be around her. She really wanted to know why she felt that way. Weiss wasn't family after all.

 _'I guess I'll never know.'_ Ruby shrugged as she thought about it. She didn't want anything to change, things seem perfect as it is.

As Ruby put on her vest as the final touches, she reached for Weiss' shoulder and opened her mouth. "Weiss, wake up." Shaking her as gently as she can.

Weiss opens her eyes expecting Ruby to be there. She appreciates Ruby waking her up everyday, she always had her butler do that for her back home. She wasn't really hard to wake up so she thought it wasn't causing the other girl much time and effort.

"Good morning princess!" Ruby smiles widely at her.

The said princess let a smile slip her defenses. Ruby didn't expect this.  _'She looks so perfect laying there with that heartwarming smile. I wish time stops. Her loving eyes, I can't resist.'_ Ruby thought inwardly.

"Hey dunce, what are you doing?" Weiss' smile becomes a slight scowl with a slight pink blush. "Stop staring at me already!"

But Ruby only smiles.  _'She spats seemingly hurtful words but her eyes doesn't lie.'_

"You seem to be doing better than when I first met you, Weiss." Ruby comments cheerfully.

Weiss stands up, walking over to her belongings so that she can prepare for school. "Whatever do you mean by that?" She replies, seemingly calmer now.

"Ohhh, nothing." Ruby seats on her bed while Weiss enters the restroom.

As soon as Weiss locked the door behind her upon entering the restroom, she sighs heavily. She knew she needed to stop spending time with Ruby but she wasn't ready. Not this early.  _'Why am I even concerned with that dork? It'll be good spending some time away from her.'_ Weiss bit her tongue.  _'This is stupid. I'll just get ready for class, grab an apple and tell Ruby I'm not going to stay for breakfast.'_ Weiss had made up her mind.

Weiss steps out of the restroom, prompting Ruby to stand up. They both went out of the room and headed downstairs.

* * *

They arrive at the cafeteria, spotting Yang and Blake easily at one of the tables. Besides Yang and Blake however, she sees Jaune with three more unfamiliar faces. Ruby shrugs knowing that they're probably just friends she hasn't met yet.

Ruby and Weiss went over to the table where the staff served food. Weiss reached for an apple and turned towards the redhead. "Ruby, I won't be joining you and the others this morning. I have other urgent things to attend to." Weiss confidently mentions.

Ruby was caught off guard and her frown became apparent. "But Weiss! We always eat together. Besides, you need breakfast to last the day."

"Ruby, I won't be joining you everyday, you know." Weiss responds.

"Yeah, okay..." Ruby's sadness spreads throughout her face.

 _'This dolt, does she really want to have breakfast with me so badly?'_ Weiss said inwardly as she turns towards the door to leave.

After Ruby gets her breakfast, she headed towards Yang and the others.

The boy to the left of Jaune had long black hair that was tied into a low ponytail, he also had a streak of hair on his left that was Magenta in color with his eyes sharing the same color. He gestures a small greeting to Ruby.

Ruby smiles awkwardly and utters a small "Hello."

"Good morning!!" The girl next to him shouts enthusiastically as she waved not just one but two hands at Ruby. She had short orange hair and turquoise eyes, seemingly friends with the boy next to her.

Jaune awkwardly laughs and begins to talk. "Sorry Ruby, I'll introduce you to them. This guy over here is my partner Lie Ren, we just call him Ren. That girl over there with the wide grin is Nora Valkyrie." Jaune stops and points to his right. "This other girl is Pyrrha Nikos, she's Nora's partner."

"Hello." A red haired girl that has deep green eyes politely said along with a steady smile.

"Pyrrha Nikos? Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?" Ruby lets the words slip.

"I'm not surprised Ruby. Pyrrha's got 5th place on our entrance exam plus she's lead the volleyball in her old school and won several tournaments." Blake pinched in.

Ruby nods at this. "That's awesome!"

"Oh, that's nothing." Pyrrha replies, trying to dismiss the praises.

"So, Ruby, why isn't Weiss here? I saw her leave, anything wrong?" Yang asks as she grabs her orange juice.

"Nope, nothing's wrong. She just said there's something she needed to do. I can't expect her to eat with us all the time anyway." Ruby closes her eyes and nods.

Yang looks at Ruby, her grin growing bigger. "Sure lil sis. Anyway, you two seem really close now."

"Yeah, well, we became partners so I guess that's only natural." Ruby smiles.

"If you say so, Rubes." Yang's grin widened even more. "I suppose I'll just ask you some other time since you're still a tad bit childish."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?!" Ruby retaliates with a glare.

The school's bell started to ring. You could say that Yang was saved by the bell. They all finished up their food and prepared to leave.


	9. Torn

Ever since breakfast, Weiss had been elusive towards Ruby. The redhead having no idea why, she scribbles on her notes with an expression of boredom. Feeling like the class has dragged on for forever, Ruby sighs and looks at the clock above the chalkboard. The treacherous bell had betrayed her. It should've rang a minute ago, although it wasn't _that_ late to begin with. Ruby cursed the bell for its betrayal in her thoughts as she sat there.

She had only this class left and there was no practice today. She wanted to go home with Weiss.

As soon as the bell rang, Ruby grabbed her bag and raced out of the classroom, earning a glare by the professor that the redhead didn't see. The lecture was about cleanliness and safety in the kitchen, Ruby deemed it to be common sense.

She headed straight to Weiss' class, praying that the heiress hasn't left yet. She arrived and peeked inside the classroom but Weiss was nowhere to be found. Ruby's smile turned into a frown.

A girl in brown noticed Ruby standing outside of the classroom, she gently walked over to the redhead. "You're Weiss' partner, aren't you?"

Ruby unconsciously put on a small awkward smile upon the interaction. "Yeah, I am." She uttered as she looked at the girl's clear rabbit ears.

"Weiss left just moments ago. She seemed to be in a hurry." The girl mentions with a concerned look. "Are you two fighting?"

"Oh no, no...She's just busy, I guess. Thanks, uhh—"

"Velvet." The faunus smiles kindly at Ruby.

"Velvet, that's a cool name. I'm Ruby." Ruby's small smile turns into a genuine smile. "Well, I gotta go...uhh, chase down the princess." Ruby said without thinking.

Ruby earns a giggle from Velvet. "Good luck, Ruby."

Ruby sprints towards where Weiss might be with a small blush on her face.

* * *

The breeze flows through Weiss' silver hair, she decided to hide at the rooftop of their dormitory. She was conflicted and she didn't think she would be this bothered by this. Ruby was nothing but thoughtful and caring to her even if she was a dunce sometimes. She cursed her father under her breathe and closed her eyes, wishing things to be different. She knew she's going to regret this even if it was just until her father backs off.

Weiss couldn't get what she needed to do out of her mind. Ruby didn't deserve this, she thought, but it's for the best.

The steel door opens and the redhead became visible to the heiress. Ruby didn't look fine, she was panting and was covered in sweat. Weiss figured she'd been running around school, trying to find her.

Now, Ruby was thinking of all sorts of things as she ran around the school grounds. She thought about what to say to the heiress, she thought about being angry and sad. She thought about giving Weiss a piece of her mind, thinking that she'd increase her volume and make the heiress apologize.

But when Ruby saw Weiss, all of those thoughts faded. Ruby took in the sight of the princess, sitting there gracefully with the wind blowing gently through her hair. Ruby instantly forgave her. She thought she was weak and spineless in the process.

"Hey Weiss." Ruby finally uttered as she straightened up from panting.

Weiss stared at Ruby for a while before speaking. "What are you doing here?" Weiss looked at Ruby with one of her eyebrows up.

"Oh, I..uhh, I was..I wanted some fresh air." Ruby smiled cheekily.

Weiss stood up and walked towards Ruby. "Well, I'm going back to the room to study, don't bother me." The heiress demanded as she passed Ruby and went down the stairs.

 _'Ugh, get a clue Weiss. I ran around the school looking for you.'_ Ruby sighs.  _'Although I did lie and say I wanted fresh air. Nice one Ruby.'_

Ruby sat down on one of the wooden benches and contemplated on her life choices.

* * *

Things between Ruby and Weiss went on like this for a few more days that it left Ruby a little bit more exhausted than she would've been if Weiss wasn't making this any harder than it is.

Ruby finally decided she needed help or at least some advice. She finally got to be friends with the heiress, she wasn't about to lose it because of some unspoken problem between them.

She started to pull out her scroll and typed away. "Yaaaang, I need help. :'("

When Ruby didn't receive any reply from her sister, she pouted.  _'What do I do now?'_

Lost in thought, the redhead bumped into someone who apologized immediately. "Sorry."

Ruby soon realized who it was, Ren. He shot her an apologetic look.

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't really looking where I'm going." Ruby uttered, still slightly frowning.

"Ruby? You alright?" Ren questions as he examined the redhead in front of him.

"Uhh, yeah, yeah. All good here." Ruby tries her best to smile but this didn't convince Ren.

"Are you sure? You look...well, tired." Ren said knowing that Ruby looked far worse than tired.

Ruby took a closer look at Ren and sighed heavily. "Actually, no. I feel like crap."

Ren went ahead and sat down near a bench and prompted Ruby to do the same, tapping the space beside him.

"Go on." Ren gave a heartwarming smile.

"I don't really mind that I'm tired and all but I just feel defeated knowing that all my effort was in vain, y'know?" Ruby started.

Ren nodded. "Mhm."

"I don't even know what's the problem. I can't think of anything that I've done wrong..." Ruby sighs again. "Maybe I've just been annoying to her...maybe she doesn't want to be friends anymore."

"She always manages to avoid me. I can't get a proper conversation with her anymore. She's always busy studying like there's a test the next day." Ruby, again, sighs and looks at Ren. "What do you think?"

"Well, I can see that you value her a lot. Ruby, have you tried asking her what's the problem?" Ren smiles, knowing that this kind of problems never really last.

Ruby's eye seemingly twinkled at Ren's words.  _'Idiot! I should've asked her that in the first place!'_

"You're a genius Ren!" The redhead stands up immediately and sprints off. Saying "Thanks!" in the distance.

* * *

 _'Weiss, where are you? Weiss...come on, I just want to see you.'_ Ruby's mind was occupied, it was occupied by Weiss. She looked around through an ocean of people, the bell had just finished ringing.  _'I can't miss you, I bet you're the only one in school who has white hair.'_ And at that second, she saw a glimpse of white hair in the crowd.

 _'Weiss!'_ Ruby tries to navigate through the ocean of students. Weiss was standing there facing a familiar blue haired guy.

"So, do you wanna go to the dance with me?" He said with a million lien smile.

Weiss noticed Ruby popping up from the crowd and paused for a moment.  _'Ruby? What are you doing there crouching on the floor?! It's dangerous!'_ 'she thought then opened her mouth "You dunce! Get up!" She reached for Ruby's hand and pulled the redhead up. The momentum of the pull yanked Ruby upward and the two barely had an inch between their faces.

"Whoa!" Ruby blurted out as she distanced herself from Weiss. The heiress couldn't hide the blush apparent on her face as she looked at Ruby in shock.

After a few moments, Weiss coughs.

"Oh, sorry, was I interrupting something?" Ruby laughs nervously at the two, now in front of her.

"It's fi—"

Neptune cuts off Weiss. "—Actually, you did, short stuff. I was just asking Snow Angel over here if she wanted to go with me to the dance."

Weiss looked at Ruby and then Neptune twice, trying to decide but knew that her decision was bound.

"D-Dance?" Ruby didn't want things to be any worse than they already are but had to ask what's this dance all about.

"It's a party for the first year students at the end of this month. It's fairly popular, Ruby. You haven't heard of it?" Weiss answered the redhead.

Ruby had, of course, heard of it—several times in fact—but she was too busy thinking about how to make up with Weiss to actually listen or care. Besides, this was the longest she's talked to Weiss in a week.

"Yes, yes. Snow Angel, your answer?" Neptune butts in with a huge smile on his face.

"Sure." Weiss answered in a small voice.

 _'Whaaaaaat? With this jerk? Are you serious?'_ Ruby's lips hang and gaped at Weiss as her thoughts of disapproval swirled in her head.

Weiss takes notice of Ruby's reaction and smirked slightly facing Neptune again. "I would love to go to the dance with you."

Neptune's expression only said 'Of course.' in a very confident way that ticked off Ruby all the more.

"Well, ladies, I'll be going now. I still have matters to attend to." Neptune winked, turned around and walked away as if he won.

Ruby waited a couple of seconds until she spoke in a little irritated way. "Really? Neptune?" Ruby knew that she hasn't talked to Weiss this much for a long time and bringing this up might not be the best action but she felt that she still had to.

"Yes, what about him?" Weiss replied, maintaining her posture and stare at the younger girl.

"Well...I dunno, he's a little bit conceited don't you think? Plus, he's been flirting with all the girls he sees. He's ogled at Yang's breasts more than once!" Ruby huffed as she let Weiss know about her sound judgement.

"Ruby, you shouldn't judge him like that." Weiss pretended to sigh.

 _'Oh no. You are not going to give me that Weiss. I'm not backing down this time.'_ Ruby thought as she opened her mouth again. "I can judge him if I want! Besides, I'm allowed to have a say on who you're going to the dance with!"

 _'Ruby looks really mad this time. I probably pushed her a little too far...'_ Weiss' expression, for a split second, turned into a concerned one before turning into a disappointed one. "What gives you the authority to say who I can and can't go with?"

"Because I'm your...I'm your friend!" The redhead's confidence in that answer diminishes as time went on.

Weiss closed her eyes for a few seconds and opened it again, she knew that regret was going to come next. "Ruby, get a clue, I've been trying to avoid you! You're nothing but annoying! You keep pushing me to do things with you that I do not want to do." Weiss kept her icy tone until the end but looked anywhere but Ruby.

Ruby felt the overwhelming sadness and anger creeping inside of her. She knew that she was about to break down and cry. Ruby had tried to patch things up with Weiss for days now and hearing this was devastating. It was just something that she hoped would never come out of the heiress' mouth.

Ruby's eyes became teary and the only words she could retaliate with was "Weiss, you idiot!" after running away from the scene.

Ruby had been kind, only calling the heiress an idiot but Weiss nodded and agreed silently. She was clearly an idiot for making her cry. The heiress lowers her head, for the first time in a while, she was ashamed of what she was doing.


	10. Sisters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I want to mention that Van_Valthier helped me with this chapter, specifically the bumblebee part. So if you liked it, you know who to thank. ;3 He's been a great support all throughout Ice Flower. Happy Reading!

Meanwhile—on the west side of the school—the library stood large, almost as large as the dining hall. Inside, dozens of shelves were lined up throughout the structure containing what Blake calls "valuable treasure."

By this hour, students and teachers alike have retreated back to the safety of their homes and dorms. Others, frolicking and socializing about outside in the yards of the school.

There was only one student who remained inside the library. She was a fair skinned young girl with amber eyes and long black hair. Her black cat ears were fluttering a little as the cat faunus continued to read her book under the light of the sun that was about to go down. She was sitting near a window to spare some electricity.

The much appreciated tranquility was soon distraught by a red dot swirling around on the page of the book that she was reading. The black haired girl scowled and immediately turned her head behind her to scan the area of her soon to be strangled victim. She stared for a while but couldn't see anyone around.

Blake sighed as she turned her head towards her book, determined to finish it. However, her demise wasn't over yet, the red dot was in front of her eyes once more this time, provoking her. Blake began to glare at the red dot, cursing it for the time it took from her. She could have finished a page by now if it weren't for this pesky red dot.

The cat faunus has had enough. She stood up while holding the book in her right hand and glared at the red dot that was dancing on the floor, she started to chase it as well as try to step on the darned obnoxious red dot. Blake tailed it like there was no turning back—left and right—until she turned to one of the aisle of the shelves.

Blake had immediately stopped, only ending up bumping into the person holding the laser lightly.

Amber eyes slowly looked up to see who it was. A girl with bright yellow hair and a grin on her face looked at her.

"Helloooooo~" The blonde greeted with a slightly high pitched voice as she grinned widely at the cat faunus.

"Yang?! What are you doing?" The cat faunus exclaimed in surprise.

Yang shrugs lightly at the question. "I want to talk about something Blake. Do you have a date to the dance?" Yang asks with a toothy grin without any hesitation.

Blake raises an eyebrow because of the unusual question. "Well, no, I don't...I mean, I'm not going to the da—"

"Great! I'll be your date then." Yang interrupts and decides with a confident smile.

"Wai—What?! I said I'm not going, Yang." Blake tried to argue but the blonde's decision wasn't budging.

"Blakey! Come on! You've been aloof and you're always alone with books. You should socialize more!" Yang moves a little closer and tilts her head slightly to the side while looking at Blake.

Blake ends up staring at Yang, her face slowly feeling a little bit hotter than usual—she then looks away.

"I bet you still don't even have friends in your classes, right?" Yang asks with a grin. "Come on, Blake? Please?"

"Fine. I'll go with you." Blake finally gives as she nods at the blonde now holding up a fist in the air as if she'd won the lottery. A small almost silent "Yes" could be heard by the cat faunus from the blonde's mouth. Blake gave Yang an unsure gaze.

Yang turns to Blake and hugs her tightly. "I promise you, you'll have fun." Yang says cheerily as she releases the cat faunus. Blake—being unfamiliar to such grotesque but warm hugs—felt her cheeks burn red.

The blonde merrily salutes off at Blake and headed towards an empty desk. She grabs a book, pulls a chair, and sits down.

"I'mma wait for you until your shift is over. Let's go home together today since I don't have practice." Yang says as she opened up the book she grabbed.

Blake only nodded at Yang. She then walks towards the opposite side of the table and sits down. The cat faunus first took a look at Yang. The blonde was squinting, trying to focus on the book that she grabbed. Blake slightly smiles at the idea of having company for a change. She prompts her book open to continue where she had left.

After half an hour, Blake lifts up the book from Yang's hands. She was always mildly amused by Yang's antics, the blonde had always come to the library when she didn't have club activities to spend time with the faunus. Even though it was a bit different today as the blonde asked her to dance, Yang still insisted on staying and waiting for the faunus. On many of the same kind of occasion, Blake had always told Yang to try and read a book—mostly ones that she had suggested—but the blonde always ends up falling asleep.

As the clock struck five, the bell had rung through out the campus. Of course, this was true too at the library. Yang wakes up from the bells and groggily watched Blake as she tidied up the library, picking up books from the book cart and placing them back on appropriate categories.

The blonde smiles casually at the sight of the faunus. She hardly hides her joy from anyone especially not from the young cat faunus. She always found ways to enjoy herself despite hard times. She treated everyone the same until she met Blake. Now, she liked showing off that she's happy and—as much as possible cool—but Blake was different. She doesn't want to just show her she's happy, she wants to share her happiness with her. It was a new sort of feeling and the blonde bathe in it. She liked to try new things out, that's just how she is. I mean, Blake could use some smiling every now and again, right?

Blake had put in the last book that needed to be placed back. She slowly gently turned around to see the smiling blonde. They both stare at each other for fleeting moments then the cat faunus turns away, trying to hide her small blush.

"You done?" Yang's smile, while groggy, became even bigger at the faunus' reaction.

Blake composed herself and looks at Yang again, smiling softly. "Yes, I am now. Shall we go back?"

Yang pulls out her scroll as an old habit and saw a message from her sister. She must've missed it. She opens the message to read it.

"Sur—" Yang pauses as she reads the message, her eyes now alert.

The faunus' smile slowly dropped and asked. "What's wrong, Yang?"

Yang hadn't noticed that her expression has changed. She smiles again. "Oh, it's my baby sister. Hey, uhh, sorry but I kinda have to go to her."

"Is there something wrong?" Blake asks with concern.

"Oh nah, nothing really. Don't worry about it. Just gonna have those sister talks, y'know?" Yang's smile holds as she looks at Blake.

"I see. Well, alright. I'll see you later." Blake's eyebrow raised briefly in contemplation then shrugs. She knew that Yang could handle it, whatever it is.

"Yeah, I'll see you later." Yang said as she walked out of the library. As soon as she got out, she sprinted towards where she needed to be. Her baby sister's side, no doubt.

* * *

_'We're not friends? We're not even friends. Weiss...you liar. You told me we're friends. You told me...'_

Ruby's steps became slower.

_'Ugh, I didn't even ask her what's the problem. Why can't I do anything right!?'_

And slower.

_'Ugh, I just wanted to be friends with her. Was that really so hard?'_

Until she stopped completely.

Ruby wanted to hole up somewhere. She wanted to hide. To be alone. Her head was hurting.

She wasn't mad. Not at Weiss, no. She was mad at herself...for believing. For believing that for a second they were close. For believing that she could...she could?

_'I could...what?'_

Ruby's thoughts came to a halt. She almost had it, the answer to the questions she's been asking. It was right there but it slipped away. Ruby looked down towards the ground. She wiped away her tears.

The hallway was completely void of people. People were probably heading back at the dining hall. And Weiss....Weiss was probably heading back to the dorm to study.

_'I'm probably the only one feeling like this. She probably didn't even bat an eye.'_

* * *

 

Yang ran trying to find Ruby nonstop. Her baby sister needed her and there wasn't a thing in the world that could stop her. She knew that it could be nothing serious but she had a feeling this was serious despite the message she received from the redhead. She always looked out for Ruby and she knew things weren't going well with her and the Ice Queen.

The blonde spotted Ruby hugging her knees near the cliff. It was the best view of Vale but that didn't matter right now. Yang walked cautiously towards Ruby.

"Ruby..."

Ruby looks up to her sister. Ruby looks like she's cried a lot and she looks like she wasn't about to stop any time soon.

"Hey Rubes." Yang smiled encouragingly as she stared at Ruby, scanning her for any injuries.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Yang finally asked.

Ruby only shook her head. Yang slowly sat down besides Ruby and gave her baby sister a tight one arm hug. After a while, Ruby had calmed down in the arms of Yang.

"So...mind telling me what happened?" The blond asked cautiously.

"Weiss and I..." Ruby started.

"We...She said that she's been avoiding me and that I...I'm not her friend."

"We've been really close the past week and I thought...I thought—but I was wrong. I've been dreaming on my own. Someone so great, so awesome like her would never want someone like me—"

Yang interrupted with a slight scolding tone. "—Ruby! Rubes...don't say something like that. You're the most honest, most open person I know."

"You're brave and you're the best baby sister anyone could have." Yang ended with a wide comforting smile.

"Thanks sis." Ruby smiles meekly at Yang.

Yang gave Ruby another hug but this time it was a full on bear hug. "Now...about Weiss." Yang says as she releases her sister.

"That's pretty odd. Don't you think, lil sis?" Yang continues.

Ruby stares at her in confusion.

"Well, don't call me a stalker but I've seen you two. She seems genuinely happy with you despite her scowling face. Maybe she has reasons. Reasons that I'm going to find out." Yang paused and thought about it carefully.

"And if those reasons aren't....well, the kind of reasons I want to hear...let's just say we'll have a big problem." Yang finishes with a furious face that she hid under her hand.

After a while, Yang calmed down and relaxed with her sister. They shared stories and talked about how things are going with both of them, catching up with each other. They haven't been able to talk much.

"It's getting pretty cold. Do you wanna go back to the dorms?" Yang suggested.

"You can sleep in my room? I'm sure Blake wouldn't mind." The blonde continued.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I...I think I want to talk to her." Ruby responded with slight confidence.

"Are you sure lil sis?" Yang asked with concern obvious in her tone.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Ruby smiled at Yang, at last.

They stood up and started to walk towards the dorms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had this chapter for quite some time now. I just didn't have the time to finish and post it.  
> As always, I hope you enjoyed reading. Comments are naturally welcome.


	11. Secret

Ruby stood in front of the door to her dorm room. She said she wanted to talk to Weiss but she was getting cold feet all of a sudden.

She steeled herself with resolve. The redhead definitely didn't want things to end like this. Weiss is her partner, them being involved with each other was inevitable for four more years.

Ruby inhaled deeply while closing her eyes, she then exhales and opens them with a more determined look. She opens the door cautiously and scans the room. She finds Weiss on her bed, she was covering her face with her arm.

She didn't expect this. It was too early to be in bed after all plus they haven't had dinner yet.  _'Is she alright?'_ Ruby asked inwardly, a little worried.  _'Wait, no! I'm supposed to be angry at her. What's the use of being worried? Sleeping or no, I'm talking to her. Now.'_ Ruby decides as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Weiss Schnee. Wake up." Ruby said, a little demanding than usual.

Weiss' baby blue eyes glimmered as the light hit it.  _'Her eyes are wet. Has she been crying?'_ Ruby's concern for the heiress popped in her mind again.

"R-Ruby?" Weiss utters as she slowly wipes her eyes. She focuses on the redhead, her eyes growing bigger in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Weiss asked with genuine curiosity.

"What do you mean? This is my room too." Ruby answered, tilting her head a bit to the side.

Weiss looked dumbfounded for a second. "I know that, you dunce. I thought you wouldn't be...here. At least not for tonight. Not after what I said..." She trailed off and looked away while seemingly having a pained expression.

Ruby was confused at this point. The heiress had told her that she was annoying, that she wasn't her friend, that she didn't like her or her antics, however, now she looked like she regret everything that she said.  _'What was the truth? What is Weiss' true feelings? Was she cold and ruthless? Was she vulnerable and weak?'_

Ruby didn't care, Weiss is Weiss. She wanted to patch things up and this could be her chance.

"Weiss." Ruby started, gaining the heiress' attention.

"It's true that I thought of not sleeping here tonight. I could've slept at Yang's place but I didn't. Weiss, I want to patch things up with you, I always did since you started avoiding me. Even now, I still want to make it up to you for whatever I did. That's why I'm here, Weiss. I want to talk things out with you." Ruby's silver eyes was filled with sadness, concern, and hope.

Weiss slowly lowered her head.

"Impossible." Weiss uttered quietly.

 _'After all that I did?'_ Weiss thought.  _'I kept avoiding you. I kept saying bad things to you and about you. I kept intimidating you. I kept giving you trouble. I kept you exhausted so you'd give up, heck you look like crap now. For almost a week, I did all this...and you tell me you still want to patch things up with someone like me?'_ Weiss smiled slightly at the thought but her frown returned soon enough.  _'This girl..even when she's tired and all this....she....I don't deserve her.'_ Weiss concluded, determined to end this.

_'This is for the best.'_

"Ruby, I...I'm sorry."

_'I don't deserve her.'_

"I never wanted to do this."

_'Wait, what am I saying?'_

"I regret everything that I said and did."

_'No, take it back. You can't endanger her like this.'_

"I just didn't want you to be in harm's way...My father...he...."

 _'Word vomit.'_ Weiss thought as she closed her eyes. She knew she couldn't lie any further, she was good at that, but recently she's been having a tough time to lie. Weiss felt horrible, she felt sick.

"Your father? What did your father do?" Ruby's tone was now filled with worry and concern.

Weiss sighs deeply.  _'I really don't deserve this dork. Not even as a friend but...she's the only one I have.'_

Weiss now opened her eyes and she looked at Ruby with renewed determination. She was going to tell her everything. It was one other way to convince her to stay away and stay quiet.

"Ruby, sit down, I want to tell you something...that I don't tell anyone else." Weiss said softly, patting the space beside her on the bed.

Weiss' expression was subtle and sad, almost grieving. Ruby stares at Weiss for exactly three seconds then nods. She sits besides Weiss softly.

"It's a secret. So you can't tell anyone, Ruby. Not even Yang." Weiss mentions with a soft commanding voice.

Ruby nods quietly. "Okay, Weiss."

"When I was younger, during highschool, I was...dating..another girl." Weiss pulls the courage to say that but Ruby listened intently without batting an eye. This prompts Weiss to continue. _'_ _Ruby was taking this—surprisingly—seriously.'_ Weiss thought.

Weiss' face now slowly became serious as she remembers the rest of her memories.

"After a while, she started avoiding me. She wouldn't tell me what's wrong even if I asked her. Later on, I found out that my father knew about me and her. I found out because...he called me to his office. We argued....saying that it was a heated argument would be an understatement. In the end, he told me that there was no way that her own daughter was....gay. He said that I was just having some sort of phase. After the fight, the very next day, my ex-girlfriend approached me and said that I was ruining her life—her family's life. She told me that her father was fired from work because of my father. I have no doubts my father did. He wanted her out of my life....The next thing I knew, my ex-girlfriend's family had to sell almost all of their property because of a debt that didn't even exist. Then she.....was gone...she....she committed suicide. She was gone....just like that. He got rid of her from my life...and anyone else's."

Weiss' tears didn't stop falling. Her sobs were so silent, you can barely hear it. Weiss had been crying like this for a long time now. Hidden and alone.

But not this time.

Ruby had gently wrapped her arms around Weiss protectively, shielding her from whatever it is that made her cry.

"Weiss, I'm here...If you're blaming yourself for any of this, don't. It's not your fault, Weiss." Ruby softly whispers as she continued to hug the heiress.

Weiss silently moves her arms to hug Ruby, tighter than what the redhead expected. Weiss' sobs became notably louder as she embraced Ruby.

The heiress had completely shattered her ice walls in front of Ruby. Ruby saw Weiss as Weiss and as she thought, Weiss was beautiful.

Ruby hums very softly to soothe her princess as she gently rubs her back.

Time had passed and Weiss eventually stopped crying. Her eyes were red and a bit swollen. They held each other a bit longer to calm the princess down.

"Thank you Ruby." Weiss whispers calmly as she released the redhead. Weiss had a red blush on her cheeks. From crying or from the hug, Ruby didn't know.

Ruby was more than welcome, of course. She smiled warmly at Weiss and opened her mouth to speak.

"It's nothing. And...thanks for telling me all that. I think I get it now...but since you're here and your dad's in Atlas, don't you think he w—"

"—He sent someone to watch over me." Weiss interrupted and sighed.

"I wish it was that easy. I fought my way to get here. To maybe live in a place where nobody's watching. However, I got reminded that he has power and that he's always watching. It wasn't hard to just keep up with my grades and send him the report card but now that someone's actually going to watch all of my moves and actions...."

Weiss looks away with a small blush.

"I can't even look at the girl I like." The heiress finishes.

Ruby blinks a couple of times at what she just heard. She stood up from the bed, laughing. The redhead attempts to suppress the laughter.

"Pffft. Weiss, you're having all this trouble 'cause you can't look at the girl you like?" Ruby tried so hard to suppress her laughter but inevitably failed.

"This is serious Ruby!" Weiss scowls—while blushing—at the laughing redhead.

Ruby held her hand up to tell the heiress to wait a moment while her other arm was wrapped around her stomach. After she was done laughing, she smiled at Weiss warmly. Weiss stared at the redhead and moved her hands as if to say 'Well? Go on.'

"You have someone you like Weiss?" Ruby's warm smile turned into a teasing one.

Weiss' scowl inevitably returns but so did her blush. "That's besides the point, Ruby Rose!"

"But it still matters! You're going to the dance with a no good ogling jerk when you can try and ask this girl out!" Ruby argued.

"Ruby, if I went to the dance with a girl my father wouldn't just sit and watch. And why are you so fixated in the dance?! It's just a dance..." Weiss tried to sound fine about the dance but failed. She surely didn't like that she was going to the dance with that prideful imbecile.

"Okay, so your dad is pretty scary and powerful. But think about it Weiss! You're the heiress to his company! Once you're an adult and you're the head, you wouldn't have any problems like this. You'll be free!" Ruby tried to reason out.

"I have thought about it several times, Ruby. And he's still my father, he will still watch over me as I run the company. He's still going to be watching me until one of us dies. And yes, I'm the heiress! I have to do things perfectly! I have to ace every test he throws at me. I have to achieve whatever he sets my goals to. Every public event, I had to act formally. Heck, I even had classes on solely that...!" Weiss lets herself be expressive beyond formality in front of Ruby.

"...The only hobby that I ever did out of my own will was fencing." Weiss added as she felt another wave of sadness and lowers her head.

"Then make mistakes!" Ruby suddenly shouts.

"Go cry about every painful thing! Go freak out on stuff that's going wrong!" Ruby continues as if trying to prove a point, which she was. At least Weiss was now looking at Ruby, a little shocked but looking nonetheless.

"You don't have to be perfect Weiss...we all make mistakes. That's what makes us human. Life isn't going to tell you what'll happen next. Things just...happen. Whether we like it or not. That's just the way it is. We just have to keep standing up after every fall. And..." Ruby reaches out her hand.

"You don't have to be alone while trying to stand up. Not anymore, Weiss." Ruby finishes with her sheepish smile.

Weiss slowly reaches out for Ruby's hand and stood up with her.

They look at each other for a while.

"Thanks Ruby. I appreciate it." Weiss said.

Ruby looked into Weiss' mesmerizing sky blue eyes and Weiss looked into Ruby's deep pools of silver eyes. Until Weiss blushed a little too much at what was happening, she then lets go of Ruby and coughs, prompting her to place her hand on her face.

Ruby didn't think this through. She thought pulling that move was cool and smooth but what comes next, she didn't know.

"Uhh, so uhh, you're welcome. Yep, yeah, uh...so..wanna go eat dinner together?" Ruby stumbles to find words to help her.

 _'This dork._ _'_ Weiss thought as she smiled at the redhead. "Sure."

Ruby steps towards the door with Weiss on her tail. She opens the door and with a loud thump, Yang fell onto the floor. Yang looked at them awkwardly, waving her hand a little. "Uhh....Haha...Hi?"

"Yang!" The two girls both shout in unison.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asks, a little more concerned than angry.

"Oh uh...well, y'see....I was...I saw a penny..." Yang scratched her head as she tried to look for words to save her ass.

"That's enough. It's fairly obvious that you'd been trying to listen in on us!" Weiss spats as she scowled at Yang.

"Well, Ice Queen, I wouldn't be doing that if you didn't make my baby sister cry!" Yang countered back just as feisty as Weiss.

"Guys! Don't fight!" Ruby frantically said as she tried to break up the two.

"Yang was just worried, Weiss." Ruby reasons out.

Yang nodded but stopped and looked at Ruby as soon as she said "I know you're worried and everything but spying on others isn't good, Yang. You should apologize to both of us."

Yang shrugs and bear hugs Ruby. "I'm sorry lil sis! and Ice Queen..."

"I'm glad that you're all good now." Yang released the redhead and then smiled at her.

"But we still have to talk." Yang scowled at Weiss, her tone demanding and intimidating.

Weiss only nodded in agreement, not attempting to argue with the blonde. "Yes, I understand."

"Now if you'll excuse us! We're off to eat some delicious food." Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand and sprinted off, the princess in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this one. Hope you enjoy!


	12. A Little Immature

Weiss thinks that Ruby is pretty charming but as charming as she was...she was also a little bit immature.

Ruby's way of thinking is still all black and white, there's no gray area. So everything Ruby said could be right but...it can't really solve the problem at hand.

The redhead said that Weiss was not alone anymore. Now, Weiss held onto those words like her life depended on it. It was soothing and magical to her heart. She appreciated it but that doesn't mean that her father's capabilities aren't any less real and threatening to her.

Ruby may as well be in danger by being involved with her and Weiss dreaded that. Her father had power and all the money in the world to do anything that he wants, no matter how evil it could be in a sense. Not to mention that he's as stubborn as a mule although Ruby would agree that Weiss have similar traits.

Ruby had also mentioned that Weiss can make mistakes like any other human. It was a pleasant thought but as much as she wanted that, she couldn't possibly afford to skip classes or purposely fail her subjects just because she didn't like them.

Weiss knew that her father only wanted to keep an image up. She could use that to her advantage. So long as Weiss kept her grades in perfect order and her hormones in check, her father shouldn't do anything displeasing to her or to Ruby.

Weiss understood that she needed to talk to Ruby about all of this. The heiress planned to thoroughly explain how things should be to the redhead as soon as classes were over.

* * *

The clock ticks steadily, nearing the time when the bells would ring. Weiss only focused on the clock as the countdown began in her head. Obviously she wasn't paying attention in class like she'd usually do but it was fine. She had studied ahead on this subject and it couldn't hurt to not pay attention for a few minutes just until the bell rings. It was urgent, to her anyway.

The bell rings, finally, so Weiss along with other students started packing their textbooks, notebooks, and pens. The heiress was eager to step out of class and find Ruby. She had memorized the redhead's schedule, so finding her wouldn't be hard.

As Weiss walked along the hallway with a lot of other students, she was suddenly pulled by Yang to a corner.  _'Of course.'_ Weiss thought.

"Hey Ice Queen, I believe we have a discussion on hold." Yang toothily smiles, sounding all formal-like for the Queen.

Weiss only nodded to have this 'discussion' out of the way.

"Not here though. Come with me, queeny." Yang puts her arm around Weiss' shoulder and continues to smile.

* * *

After a while, Yang settles for a little isolated spot at the garden. The blonde made the Ice Queen sit down while she stood.

"So, what is it that you want to talk about?" Weiss casually says as she looked up at the blonde.

"You know exactly what I want to talk about. You made Ruby cry." Yang starts, her smile now nowhere to be seen.

"I want to know exactly why you avoided my baby sister and made her cry....and if this will keep on happening. 'Cause you guys seem to be friends again." Yang raises an eyebrow.

"Look Yang, I know that you're obviously concerned for Ruby so I understand that you want to protect her and prevent anything else that could happen to her but could you not threaten me like this? May I stand?" Weiss asks with a chill in her voice. She already dealt with the most terrifying person in the world—her father—constantly to be affected by Yang's form of intimidation.

"Only if you tell me what's going on." Yang demanded with an angry stare.

Weiss raises her eyebrow. The heiress finally stands up gracefully and faces Yang. "Alright."

"I avoided Ruby because I selfishly thought that I didn't deserve her and that she should make other friends....other than me. She's been kind and thoughtful all this time but I never did anything for her in return. I didn't mean to make Ruby cry, Yang. I just thought she'd be better off without me. I may have said things that I can't take back but...I won't—I promise I will never intend to make Ruby cry again." Weiss told Yang in absolute honesty. She relaxed a bit after noticing Yang doing the same.

"So, you're human." Yang blurted out with a small chuckle.

"And what does that mean?" Weiss scowls at Yang.

"Relax, princess! I mean, you've got issues making friends and you have no idea what to do with them, huh? It's fine, Ruby's the same so I get it. You just took a....different approach than what Ruby does." Yang says in an almost teasing manner.

"Why? What does she do?" Weiss curled her eyebrows.

"The complete opposite of you. She just puts her friend way up on a pedestal. She's scared of losing them too." Yang answers nonchalantly.

Weiss nodded as she processed the information.

Yang's expression became a tad bit serious again. "Let me just clear something up, Weiss. You will keep that promise or else...I'll be forced to teach you a little..physical lesson on your face 'cause having scars are pretty cool, y'know?" Yang smiles sinister-like at the end.

Yang hits the heiress' back and smiles cheerily. "Well! I'm going ahead to practice. I'm sure they don't mind if I'm gone for a little while....I hope." Yang leaves hurriedly.

Weiss then realized that Ruby also had practice. She would've missed Ruby if Yang didn't remind her. And I suppose she feels a little more inclined to keep that promise now.

* * *

Ruby's stretching with the rest of the Track and Field members while she spotted Weiss stepping onto the field. She smiles unconsciously causing one of her teammates to notice. She had light mint-green hair along with brown skin and dark red eyes.

"Here comes the princess, am I right Ruby?" The girl teases with a smile as they stretched.

Ruby noticeably produced a pinkish blush on her cheeks as she turned to see who said that.

"Hey! She's just a friend, Emerald. But if you're pertaining to her looks as princess-like, I'd agree." Ruby nodded sagely as she closed her eyes.

Emerald laughs it off and shrugs. "Just keep stretching."

Ruby turned to look at Weiss again. As soon as she spotted her, she waved enthusiastically.

Weiss visibly waves back at her as well but in a less...energetic manner. This makes Ruby's smile even wider.

 _'Things should go back to normal now.'_  The redhead thought.

* * *

Weiss waves at Ruby with a dainty smile that the redhead probably barely sees.

 _'I suppose I'll have to wait for Ruby here.'_ Weiss thought inwardly as she sits down on the bench.  _'This is nostalgic. Been a while since I've been here...waiting for that dork. I suppose I do miss it. It's more relaxing than studying, I can't deny that.'_ Weiss smiles honestly then sighs.

 _'I like her huh?'_ Weiss looks out at the field, seeing Ruby waiting for her turn to run.  _'Who was I referring to when i said 'girl I like' last night anyway?'_ The heiress continues to watch as Ruby prepared to run.

 _'That's it, it's her, I can't deny that any further. Why do I even like that dork? She's clumsy...and too casual...and sometimes rude...and kind...and thoughtful...and courageous...and does the right thing...and cute....adorable..and her eyes are so...beautiful.'_ Weiss blushes, she's been watching Ruby run around the track.

Weiss sighs again.  _'I do feel a little hot around the cheeks when I'm with her.'_

 _'This is troublesome. And I'm suppose to tell her to...not come near me as much as possible.'_ Weiss thought inwardly. Her expression now being sad.

"Hey Weiss." Ruby casually starts.

Weiss wore a red blush on her face, seemingly surprised.

"Ruby! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Weiss exclaims as she covered her face.

Ruby smiles teasingly. "I didn't sneak. You were distracted! You were making weird faces. I noticed while I ran my lap, so i came to check up on you."

Weiss breathes in and out to calm herself.

"Are you sick or something? You don't have to wait out here, y'know? It's getting pretty cold." Ruby continued as she reaches out for the heiress' forehead.

Weiss, again, was shocked by Ruby's warm hand and slaps it away. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ruby visibly frowns at Weiss, her hand still reaching out but not touching her forehead. "I just wanna check!"

Weiss looks at Ruby's sad face and deeply sighs. "Fine."

Ruby smiles yet again as if the sadness on her face was all pretend to get Weiss to agree.

Weiss lets the redhead's hand touch her forehand. It was, again, fairly warm.  _'The warmth feels nice. I suppose it got a little cold. Not something I'd notice, honestly.'_ Weiss thought as she blushed.

"Hmm, well, you seem to be fine, Weiss." Ruby's confused face made Weiss chuckle a little.

"I told you, I'm fine. Besides, the cold doesn't bother me. I'm from Atlas, remember?" Weiss proudly says, her blush still there.

"Oh, right." Ruby smiles at the princess.

Emerald walks near the bleachers and clearly shouts. "Hey Ruby! Come back here already!"

"Oops." Ruby awkwardly laughs. "Gotta go."

Emerald bows her head slightly at Weiss to acknowledge her and then smiles knowingly at Ruby. "I swear, I wouldn't be surprised if you guys are dating."

"Wha—?!" Ruby reacts, her cheeks having a tint of red.

"—Although what's up when she stopped coming by for a while? Lover's quarrel?" Emerald asks curiously.

"N-No! We just had a misunderstanding of sorts.." Ruby answers, a little unsure.

Emerald again shrugs, not prying any further.

* * *

Practice was over and all of the members of the Track and Field were free to go home.

Ruby walks towards the bleachers seemingly zoned out. Weiss' raised her eyebrow at Ruby's odd behavior.

"Ruby?" Weiss calls out, snapping Ruby out of her trance.

"Oh, uhh, yeah?" Ruby awkwardly smiles.

"You alright? You seem...off." Weiss carefully mentions.

"Uhh, y-yeah." Ruby answers then looks away.

 _'What's wrong with her? Did I say something weird?'_ Weiss said inwardly as she walked besides the awkward redhead.

Ruby blushed ever so slightly as she looked away.

 _'Ugh, Emerald, why'd you go and say things like that. I feel like an idiot. Why did this suddenly become so awkward?'_ Ruby frantically thought as she tried to calm her beating heart down.

 _'Okay...Okay..It's just Weiss. Plain old Weiss. My partner, friend, roommate. Weiss.'_ Ruby looks at Weiss briefly and then looks away, not saying a word.  _'I know Weiss is beautiful but has she been 'that' beautiful?!'_

Ruby visibly sighs as she lowered her head to look at her shoes as she and Weiss walk through the entrance of the dormitory.

 _'What is going on?! My heart's beating so fast like I'm running a lap. I wanna just hide underground.'_ The redhead panicked.

"—uby. Ruby!" Weiss tries to get Ruby's attention as she waves her hand in front of the dork.

Ruby slowly focuses on Weiss' hand and then at Weiss.

"What are you zoning out for?" Weiss questions the redhead.

"Uhhh.." Ruby, again, blushes but this time Weiss sees it.

"A-Are you sick?" Weiss tries hard not to think too much about it.

"N-No. I just...My heart's beating really quickly for some reason." Ruby blurts out the last bits really fast.

Weiss breathes in and out, she then grabs Ruby's hand and pulls her into their room.

 _'This can't be it. She's just nervous for some other reason I don't know yet. Maybe someone confessed to her or asked her to the dance.'_ Weiss thought up excuses for the redhead's behavior. Not agreeing that it might be her fault.

Weiss closes the door after pulling the dork inside.

 _'Now..'_ "Alright, Ruby, just relax. There's nothing to be nervous about." Weiss instructs Ruby.

The redhead sits down on her bed and looks up at the heiress.

 _'She seems to be fine now. I wonder what she's thinking about?'_ Weiss thought inwardly.

Ruby then blushes again, redder than before. Weiss was caught off guard and started blushing as well.

 _'W-What? What is it?'_ Weiss asked Ruby in her head.

Ruby then looks away, yet again.

 _'Holy Macaroni...Me?! and Her?! DATING?! Emerald must be nuts 'cause I can't believe Weiss would date someone like me.'_ Ruby denies the possibility of that.

 _'Besides, isn't she going to the dance with that douche...? Oh no wait, she said she's gay...And she said she has some girl she likes.'_ Ruby's blush slowly diminished as a frown was now on her face.

Weiss recovers from her blush and notices that Ruby was now frowning slightly. The heiress sits down on Ruby's bed, beside her.

"Anyway, Ruby, we should talk about last night. I want to clear things up with you." Weiss starts.

Ruby snaps out of it and looks at Weiss with a more relaxed expression.

Weiss nodded. "As you know my father's insane." Weiss paused, a little scared, but Ruby nodded reassuringly.  _'It's alright. It's just Ruby. I can trust her.'_ Weiss thought.

"He only really cares about keeping an image of his clean. So as long as I have perfect grades and I keep my, ahem, hormones intact, I'm as good as free." Weiss continued.

"But the problem is...he sent someone to not only keep me in my place but...as I suspect, keep...you in place too." Weiss tries not to sound weird saying those last words.

Ruby tilts her head to the side. "What? Why me?"

A very good question, honestly. One that Weiss didn't really want to answer.

"Because you're my partner, my roommate, my only friend in school..." Weiss explains but Ruby still had a confused expression.

"Just because I'm your friend doesn't mean I'm a threat to his 'image' or whatever." Ruby says, a little passionately than what she'd intended.

"Well, it's not that easy. He wants to be sure, you see. If you're the closest to me, and you're...well..a female..." Weiss tries to explain.

Ruby's eyes grew bigger as she realized what Weiss is trying to say. "W-W-Wait! You mean?"

Weiss closes her eyes and nods.

"But you don't feel that way about me, right? Even if we're close, it doesn't mean we're dating or anything! Why does he have to think that?!" Ruby exclaims and blushed as she complained, prompting Weiss to blush as well.

"Ruby, calm down! It doesn't matter to him if we are or not. If there's a possibility, he'd shut it down. It's as simple as that." Weiss tries to calm the dork down.

Both Ruby and Weiss slowly became silent and starts to calm down after a while, their blushes still clearly on their faces.

"So..this guy he sent, when is he going to arrive here?" Ruby asked.

"I honestly don't know exactly when but there's a high chance that they'd arrive after two weeks, maybe even less, because of all the papers needed." Weiss answered while still pondering.

"So he would be here, most likely during or right after the dance." The heiress finished.

"Mhmm. So, he would be hidden right?" Ruby asked, a little confidently.

"Hidden? What do you mean by that?" Weiss answers with a question and a confused stare.

"Oh, I dunno. Like he won't show himself to us?" The redhead awkwardly chuckles at that.

"Hmm, I've never thought of that. I always thought he'd show himself to us. Although, there would be a lot of advantages hiding himself. For example, catching me red handed and taking pictures for proof." Weiss nodded while her eyes were closed.

"See! He might be already here! Watching us right now." Ruby holds up her hands to somehow prove a point.

A point that Weiss accepted. "You're right."

Weiss quickly stands up and walks over to her own bed. "Ruby, you understand the situation now right?"

Ruby nods. "Yep."

"Then you understand that you should not come near me anymore unless it was urgent matters." Weiss utters with a sad tone.

"Uhh..well, that sounds a bit too much, don't you think? We're not doing anything bad. I'm sure that observer guy would see that too." Ruby argues.

The heiress stays silent and considers it for a while.

"Come on, Weiss. I'm sure your dad will only see it as harmless friendship." Ruby smiles but with a hint of sadness that the princess didn't notice.

"Fine." Weiss sighs. _'I suppose if you don't feel anything about me...then we can't be together and nobody will know that I'm gay unless Ruby tells everyone which I doubt will ever happen. Besides, having her as a friend is better than not having her as anything at all.'_

"Great! Then let's go get some grub." Ruby dictates as she stood up.

Weiss smiled and then stood up as well, following the dork outside.

 _'Everything back to normal. We're friends again!'_ Ruby thought as she glances briefly at the princess.

 _'Somehow...that doesn't feel right even though that's what I wanted all this time. Am I wrong?'_ Ruby frowns as she deeply thought about what she really wanted.

 _'Then what do I want?'_ Ruby asked inwardly as she slowly became confused. She glanced at the heiress again, only making her nervous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think that I'd be able to write 10 chapters let alone 12. :D So I'll just clap for this personal achievement.
> 
> Also, thank you for everyone's support. Getting 50+ kudos means a lot to me so thank you!
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed reading.


	13. Stares

Students rush to the dining hall for lunch as the bell rang moments ago. Weiss waits for the redhead patiently just outside her classroom. The heiress' eyes are closed, seemingly focusing on something but the truth was a little bit duller than that. She didn't want to be disturbed while waiting for the redhead.

"Hey! Look at those ears! Hahaha!" A guy with orange hair pulled up the ears of a familiar faunus.

"Yeah! It looks so real." He said, amused. His head was shaved with a light green mohawk.

"Please stop pulling my ears!" The rabbit faunus pleaded.

"I told you they were real!" The orange haired guy bragged with a sly smile.

Weiss notices this but before she could say or do anything, Ruby passed by her towards the bunch.

"Hey! Stop that! Let go of Velvet!" Ruby shouts loud and clear with an angry tone.

"Ruby!" Weiss calls out.

The orange guy's smile was nowhere to be seen now as he lets go of Velvet's ears and approached Ruby with an intimidating stare.

"Ahaha! So what can a little runt like you do about it?" He said as he towered over Ruby.

Ruby glances at Velvet, signing with her eyes to leave immediately. Velvet understood and complies.

"D-Do you think it's fun to bully people who are weaker than you?!" Ruby struggles for words as the guy in front of him was taller than anybody she'd known.

"Heh, I was only showing my friend here that those freaks of nature are real." The orange haired guy chuckles smugly.

"Yeah, it was sure a life lesson. Never seen these freaks in person, y'see?" The light green haired guy responded.

The orange haired guy laughs. "How about you try grow some animal ears too and join those freaks?" He reaches out for Ruby but got interrupted.

"That's enough, Cardin." Weiss steps in between him and Ruby. "I believe the teachers will be here any second...and you wouldn't want to be suspended, would you now?" Weiss says with a deadly icy tone.

"Weiss.." Ruby whispers as she calmed down.

"Tsk. You'll get yours someday Schnee." Cardin walks off with his friend out of the classroom.

Ruby sighs and then smiles. "Thanks Weiss. I thou—"

"—Do not do that again. It's dangerous you dolt! What if he had done something to you?!" Weiss exclaims as she scolded the redhead.

"I-I just couldn't stand there and let them bully Velvet!" Ruby argued.

Velvet arrives with Professor Port in tow. "Here Professor!"

"Ah, Professor Port, I think you might want to talk to Cardin Winchester and Russel Thrush about this incident." Weiss inputs as the teacher listened.

"Yes, yes, of course! I won't be having this kind of behavior in this school. I remember back in my days the respect between humans and faunus were terrible! We should all appreciate the changes that is brought upon this era!" Professor Port then walks out to most likely find those boys.

"Thank you Ruby. I appreciate the help." Velvet thanks the redhead as she glances at Weiss and Ruby a couple of times. She then bows ever so slightly and goes on her way along with other students watching what happened.

Ruby turns to look at Weiss.  _'What's her problem? I just wanted to help.'_

Weiss sighs. "Ruby, just think before you act or next time might not go in your favor. Just..Just be more careful."

 _'Oh. She's just worried about...me.'_ Ruby thought inwardly.

"Uhh, okay." The redhead responded, a little dumbfounded.

"Now, stop looking at me like that and let's go eat lunch." Weiss briefly smiles softly at Ruby then quickly walks towards the door.

Ruby only nods and follows the princess.

* * *

The gang—Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren—are eating together at the table. Ruby, while seemingly eating mindlessly, stares at Weiss.

 _'Come to think of it, despite looking angry all the time Weiss always ends up agreeing to my whims.'_ The redhead thought inwardly.

 _'And despite scolding me, she's pretty nice. Maybe it's because we're friends?'_ Ruby continued to think while eating.

 _'There's no way there's more than that, right?'_ As Ruby continued to stare at the heiress, she noticed her scar running down from her left eye.

 _'That must've hurt. But I think it's pretty cool, besides I think Weiss would be beautiful no matter what.'_ Ruby nodded slightly at her own thought, agreeing with herself.

"Hey Ruby, what are you staring at?" Nora asks bluntly.

"Weiss." Ruby answers casually, while still in a trance as she stared at Weiss.

Weiss, of course, hears this and turns her head towards Nora and Ruby.

"Why?" Nora continues to ask.

"Because she's pretty." Ruby answers casually again.

Weiss visibly turns red at what she heard. Ruby snapped out of her trance, attaining a bright red blush on the redhead's cheeks.

"'Cause y'know! Weiss is really pretty. Her skin is so soft!" Ruby tries to explain to Nora in a hurried attempt to fix the situation. "Her eyes are so blue like the sky and ocean, right!"

"Her lips looks so red and nice, I mean, who wouldn't want to stare at Weiss?!" Ruby felt as though she dug her own grave.

Glancing at Weiss, she was completely red.  _'Uh oh.'_ Ruby thought as she analyzed her futile attempt to fix this.

Nora only looks at Ruby with an innocent smile. "Okay Ruby!"

Ruby wanted to hide under the table at this point. Both Ruby and Weiss were basically like tomatoes right now.

Weiss lowered her head slowly and finished her food, choosing not to say a word.

Ruby also chose to not say a single word after what she's said. She eats her food as fast as she could, glancing at Weiss from time to time.

As soon as the two finished everything on their plate, Weiss looked at Ruby.

"Ruby, come with me for a second." Weiss said in a surprisingly soft but firm voice.

Ruby nodded. They said their farewell to the others and went out of the dining hall.

* * *

The princess and the redhead both sat at a bench in the school's garden. The garden's pretty huge with a bunch of pretty flowers.

"So...you were staring at me?" Weiss raises her eyebrow at Ruby, trying not to blush in the process.

Ruby gulps as she now looked into Weiss' eyes, getting a little embarrassed. "Uhh, yep..I mean, like I said, who wouldn't? You're beautiful Weiss."

Weiss failed, before she knows it, she now has a burning red blush on her face. "T-That's!"

Weiss tries to calm herself down by breathing slowly, she speaks again after a while. "Ahem. Thank you Ruby."

Awkward silence fell upon the two as they sat besides each other. Both wearing a red tint on their faces. Ruby nervously looks at everything except at Weiss.

The princess only looked directly in front, never glancing at Ruby out of embarrassment.

 _'What is she thinking? Could it be that Ruby does have a thing for me?'_ Weiss thought as she decided to ask Ruby directly this time to get it over with.

"Ruby...D-D-Do you like me?" Weiss starts, stammering while her face was clearly burning red.

Ruby's eyes grew bigger as she panicked a bit but the panic quickly subsided. There was no way that Weiss was pertaining to anything romantic, right?

"Yes, Weiss! Of course I like you. You're my friend." Ruby was able to produce a seemingly strained smile.

Weiss sighs deeply at this response and decided that the redhead needed a more specific question.

"No, I mean...D-Do you l-lo-lo-love me?" Weiss asks again in an attempt to know the truth.

Ruby visibly becomes redder than before however she stayed quiet. Weiss shakes her head from side to side slightly and tries again, still her blush consuming her cheeks.

"Ruby, do you lo-love me ro-romantically?" Weiss managed to say without much stammering this time.

Ruby stares at Weiss for a few seconds but this felt like an eternity for Weiss.

Ruby then opens her mouth slightly and whispers. "I don't know."

"...Come again?" Weiss responded as she couldn't hear Ruby.

"I said I don't know." Ruby said with a more audible voice.

Weiss only stared at Ruby's eyes for a time.  _'She doesn't know? Then...if she doesn't know, there's a possibility that it's a yes, right?'_

 _'Wait, really? I have a chance with Ruby? But no, that can't happen. It'll only endanger her.'_ Weiss thought inwardly.

_'Come to think of it, Ruby never reacted disgusted when she found out I'm gay. I didn't think people could react any other way. She was listening to my story so intently too. Ruby's—'_

"—eiss. Weiss?" Ruby calls out with an apologetic look.

"Weiss, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be affected like this. I mean, you have another girl you like right?" Ruby continued with a mixed expression of pain and sadness.

"Ah, no." Weiss unusually blurted out. "I-I mean, yes." Weiss said with an almost inaudible voice but Ruby heard it.

The bell then rings loudly across the campus. It was time for after lunch classes.

 _'I knew it. Weiss has someone else she likes. Maybe she's just excited that I could be gay too? Either way, this sucks.'_ Ruby said to herself.

"Anyway, it's time for classes again. Let's meet after class. I'll wait for you in the library." Weiss talks, still a bit shaken.

"Yeah, sure." Ruby responds, a little down.

As they both walk together towards the entrance to the building, Ruby awkwardly asks. "Uhm, why are we meeting at the library?"

"You dunce...we're going to study. Your grades have been slipping and we can't have that. We have exams after the dance so you better be prepared, Ruby." Weiss answers softly, still a little bit shaken and a little concerned for Ruby since she looks down.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that." The redhead laughs awkwardly.

Weiss nodded. "Yes, that's why i'm reminding you. I'll also be keeping an eye on you. This is one of those 'urgent' situations. As your grades are almost as important as mine. My father wouldn't have a brainless idiot for his daughter's partner." Weiss realized what she just said.

 _'Good job Weiss, you essentially just called her a brainless idiot.'_ Weiss winced at the thought.

"S-Sorr—" Weiss starts but gets interrupted.

"—No, it's alright Weiss. I get it. You don't mean it right? It's just what he'd probably describe anyone who's grades are slipping by one point." Ruby chuckles at this then smiles at the heiress, reassuring her. Her sadness seemingly gone.

Weiss only smiles back at the redhead.

 _'There you go. This smile is definitely priceless.'_ Ruby thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's pretty short. Hope you enjoyed. :3


	14. The Dance

The redhead sat on her bed. She wore a red sleeveless dress, black stockings and black pumps. You could hear her mumble 'stupid lady stilts' as she looked glumly at her footwear.

The princess walks out of the restroom gracefully in a fitting white dress. She carried her 'princess' demeanor perfectly.

"Weiss!" Ruby stood up but tumbles forward, prompting Weiss to catch her before the redhead falls over.

"You dolt." Weiss said in an almost comforting manner. The redhead holding onto Weiss for support.

"You look even more beautiful Weiss! I guess dresses really suit you, huh?" Ruby smiles widely.

"Well, I won't deny that." Weiss glances at Ruby's attire. "You look...beautiful too, Ruby." She said as she looked away, a little flustered.

Ruby awkwardly laughs. "Naaah, dresses don't really suit me."

Weiss chuckles at this.

"What?" Ruby smiles awkwardly.

"Oh, nothing. Can you stand on your own?" Weiss asks with concern.

"O-Of course! This stupid stilts won't slow me down!" Ruby declares as she lets go of Weiss' hands.

"Just be careful Ruby, you look so unstable." Weiss says, another small chuckle coming from her.

 _'Weiss has gotten a lot cheerful than when I first met her. That's good. Hopefully, things keep going the way it is.'_ Ruby thought as she looked at the princess.

Ruby stood still, afraid that if she moved, she'd fall again. Weiss, on the other hand, looked a bit worried but tried to hide it with judging eyes. The heiress wanted to make sure Ruby can walk after all. The redhead only smiled prompting Weiss to relax.

Two knocks on the door got their attention.

Weiss glanced at Ruby and the redhead shrugs, maintaining her victorious stance.

The heiress opened the door to reveal Neptune in a tuxedo, all ready for the dance.

"Are you ready, my dear snow angel?" Neptune smiles widely at the heiress.

"Oh Neptune, hello. Yes, I'm ready." Weiss fakes a smile.

 _'Ugh, why did I have to say yes to this prideful guy? I'm sure he's been hitting on other girls all the while.'_ Weiss thought menacingly.

"Great!" Neptune takes Weiss' hand without permission and leads the way.

Ruby only peering through the door. "S-Sure! You guys go ahead, I'll be right there!"

* * *

Ruby slowly made her way to the auditorium where the dance for the first year students were being held.

 _'Ugh, I hate these stupid heels.'_ Ruby thought as she took a step, looking at her feet. She was slowly getting the hang of it but it wasn't any less hated.

"Hey there. You okay?" A stranger with blonde hair wearing a loose collared black jacket with seemingly no shirt underneath and a tie had appeared to the right of Ruby.

"Huh?" Ruby looks up to see who it is. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not used to wearing these."

The blonde laughs. "I hate formal attire too." He points at his tie. "Stupid neck trap."

The joke earns him a chuckle from the redhead.

"You alone tonight, uhh?" The blonde continues.

"Ruby. Ruby Rose." The redhead answers with a small smile.

"Ruby! The name's Sun." Sun extended his arm towards Ruby.

"Uhh?" Ruby blankly stares at Sun's hand.

"You can hold onto me. Looks like it'll be a while until you can walk on those." Sun smiles innocently.

Ruby grabs Sun's arm. "T-Thanks."

"No problem. I like helping people in need, y'know!" Sun declares. "Anyway, have you seen a guy with blue hair?"

Ruby's expression seemingly drops from a smile to a frown. "You mean Neptune?"

"Yeah yeah, that's the guy. Neptune left me behind to pick up some chick he's taking to the dance." Sun shrugs.

"That makes two of us. Some friends they are, huh?" Ruby complains.

"Neptune can be a handful but he's cool. He's my best friend." The blonde says.

"Huh, I think of Weiss the same way, kinda." Ruby chuckles.

Ruby then glances at Sun's tail.  _'Oh, he's a faunus. That's so cool. I wonder if he can lift things with it? That'd be sooo cool!'_ Ruby thought while smiling.

"I see you've discovered my tail." Sun smiles brightly. "It's pretty handy you know! It's like my third hand." He laughs as he moved his tail around, bragging.

"That's so cool!" Ruby's eyes sparkles as she thought of the possibilities having a third hand.

Sun then laughs. "You're pretty interesting."

"Anyway, we're here." Sun points at the dance party.

"Yep." Ruby said, popping the p of the word.

They both enter the auditorium, still hand in hand. Weiss caught them as they entered. The heiress being worried about Ruby had kept an eye near the entrance.

 _'That guy...Ruby never said she had a date to the dance.'_ Weiss pondered.

Ruby and Sun went to get some punch to drink, still talking to each other.

"Neptune, can you be a dear and get us some punch?" Weiss faked a smile as she requested.

"Sure, no problem." Neptune complies.

Neptune sees Sun naturally at the punch bowl with Ruby.

"Hey dude." Sun starts.

"Sup man?" Neptune smiles.

"I know you got a girl and all but leaving me behind was not cool man, not cool." Sun says sternly.

"Oh come on man, this is a Schnee. This girl's really good for my image. Just chill, okay? I'll make it up to you." Neptune taking two cups in his hands.

"Alright fine. But we're doing it my way the next time we go out." Sun demands jokingly.

"Yeah sure. I'll let you be the lead. Thanks bro." Neptune smiles and returns to where Weiss is.

Weiss waits for Neptune to hand her the cup before she talked. "So...anything interesting happened?"

"Nope, nothing sweetheart. Wanna sit down at that table? Maybe have a little chit chat to get to know each other?" Neptune recommended with a million lien smile.

Weiss closes her eyes briefly. "..Sure."

Back at the punch bowl, Ruby and Sun was drinking some punch casually while looking for seats.

"That's pretty cool. I wish I could say that to Weiss. Be firm, you know?" Ruby says nonchalantly.

"Why don't you? She's your best friend, right?" Sun asks.

"Huh? Well, she hasn't exactly accepted the whole best friend thing." Ruby smiles half heartedly as they both sit down st a table.

"Why not? I see you guys together at school all the time. You guys are practically like peanut butter and jelly." Sun laughs.

"Hey! That's not really a good analogy." Ruby chuckles.

Sun then tapped his feet to the rhythm of the current music. "Hey, this is my jam."

Ruby tries to hold of laughter. "Is that supposed to be a pun?"

Sun winks and laughs at his own silliness. "Wanna go dance, Ruby?"

Ruby paused.  _'Since Weiss has a date I guess one little dance shouldn't hurt. Plus Sun's pretty cool.'_

"Okay, sure." Ruby nodded, still smiling.

Ruby and Sun stood up from their sits and headed to the dance floor.

Weiss, on the other hand, needed to bear with Neptune's bragging.  _'When is this guy going to shut up?'_ Weiss sighs slightly.  _'I've dealt with people like this all the time before. I guess there'd still be people like this here.'_

Weiss took notice of Ruby and Sun dancing on the dance floor.  _'Well, at least Ruby's having fun at this party...without me.'_

 _'Ugh, stop, stop. Don't go having a pity party Weiss Schnee. This should be expected, Ruby was never interested in you. This is for the best.'_ Weiss lowers her head slightly.

"Hey Weiss! Are you listening?" Neptune asks as he wore a concerned face. "You look a little pale."

 _'Chance!'_ Weiss thought. "Yeah, I feel kind of sick. May I take my leave?"

"Oh, do you want me to escort you to the clinic or something?" Neptune responded.

"No, that won't be necessary. Thank you Neptune." Weiss said standing up.

The heiress darted off the auditorium.  _'This is for the best, right?'_

Neptune walks through the crowd of dancing people over to Sun. "Hey man, I'm getting out of here. This place is a bust."

Neptune then takes his leave, a bit irritated.

"Dude, wait up." Sun said. "Ruby, hey, I gotta go. I'll see you at school?" Sun smiles at Ruby as he hurriedly catches up with Neptune.

As Neptune and Sun left, Ruby then realized..  _'Wait, where's Weiss?'_

* * *

Alone, Weiss ended up roaming campus grounds. She wondered off to the cliff, it was famous for its view of Vale.

 _'The view here is as good as they say.'_ Weiss thought as she sat down on the edge.  _'I suppose I can stay here for a while.'_

Weiss sighs.  _'I wonder if Ruby's hitting it off with that...monkey guy. They were clearly having fun.'_

Weiss deeply sighs again.  _'I suppose I have no choice but to ignore my feelings and remain friends with that dork.'_

"Hey Weiss." Ruby says.

Weiss shrieked and got off balance, surprised at Ruby's greeting. Ruby quickly grabs Weiss' arm.

"Whoa there! You don't want to fall down this cliff, Weiss." Ruby stated with a concerned look.

"And who's fault do you think that is?!" Weiss scolds Ruby but soon regretted it because Ruby winced. Weiss closes her eyes briefly and looks at Ruby again.

"Didn't I tell you not to sneak up on me?" Weiss calmly said as she sat straight.

Ruby sat down beside the princess. "And didn't I say I didn't sneak? You were distracted again." Ruby finished with a sheepish smile.

"Well, I-I was just thinking of a lot of things." Weiss reasoned, a small tint of red on her face.

"So that's what you're doing out here? Thinking?" Ruby questioned.

"Yes, maybe you should do it sometimes." Weiss says harshly.

Ruby's expression turned to a sad one. "Weiss...Why do you have to be so mean?"

Weiss took one look of Ruby's sad face and she frowned. "I'm sorry Ruby. I didn't mean it."

"Yeah, I know. But we're alone now Weiss. You don't have to be so uptight." Ruby said with a small encouraging smile.

"Alright, Ruby." Weiss smiles softly, gazing at those silver eyes.

"I love you." Weiss slipped those words but it made perfect sense.

Ruby paused and stared at Weiss, her words drowning her mind.  _'Whaaaaaaaaat? Did she just? DID SHE JUST?'_ Ruby panicked inside her mind while her face slowly became redder than ever.

Weiss similarly blushed up to her ear.  _'I can't believe I just said that without stammering. However...'_ Weiss looks at Ruby and waits for a response.

 _'Is Ruby alright? I shouldn't hope for anything. Ruby's clearly straight. Let's just get this over with so I have no more regrets.'_ Weiss closed her eyes, focusing on her heart that's beating fast.  _'Just relax.'_ Weiss seemingly tells her own heart.

 _"_ W-We-Weiss..." Ruby's the one who stammers this time. She swallows and tries to continue, with a bit more control. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" The redhead proceeds to pulling her cheeks.

"No you're not, you dolt." Weiss said softly.

"C-Can you say that again then?" Ruby asked nervously.

"N-No! I am not repeating anything." Weiss declares as she blushed heavily.

Ruby paused again.  _'This isn't a dreaaaaaaaaaaam.'_

"Okay, I'm stopping you there Ruby. We both know you're not into girls." Weiss sighs sadly, still wearing a blush that's slowly diminishing.

"What? How can you be so sure?! I mean, I..I don't look at other girls like that bu—" Ruby says but gets interrupted by Weiss.

"—Then tha—" But as Weiss starts, Ruby interrupted her too.

"—But!! I don't look at other guys like that too. And besides, I-I kinda like you too..." Ruby said, her face red.

Weiss takes a moment to react. She raises an eyebrow.

"Kinda?" Weiss mentions.

"Uhh, yeah, no, I mean..." Ruby mumbles for the right word.

"What?" Weiss edged the redhead on.

"...I'm just not so sure." Ruby finished.

Weiss lowers her head and fell silent.

"I mean, I've never felt romantic feelings before! And I don't want to hurt you or anything. But I'm really really happy that you feel that way about me Weiss. I just don't know how to know for sure!" Ruby speaks in a faster tone.

Weiss raises her head to look at Ruby, right in the eyes. "Then..."

Weiss inched closer to Ruby as the redhead looked right into her beautiful blue eyes. Time felt like it slowed down. All Ruby could hear was her heart beating and all she could see was Weiss getting closer and closer....until Weiss sealed Ruby's lips with hers.

Ruby instinctively closed her eyes to feel...all the sensations that Weiss gave her. Weiss' soft wet lips was soon the only thing on Ruby's mind. Weiss wasn't aggressive though, she slowly..very carefully kissed Ruby.

When it ended, Ruby still had her eyes closed. The fleeting sensations, her beating heart, Weiss' lips, it was all...addictive.

Weiss' expression was soft, almost heartwarming. She smiled at Ruby gently.

"So, do you know for sure now?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Yes." Ruby didn't hesitate. "I know for sure that I don't want to lose you Weiss. I never did. I always chased after you. You're very important to me. I think this is love..."

Ruby decided as she smiled. "Yes, I love you Weiss Schnee."

Weiss' smile grew bigger as she held back tears. "I love you too Ruby."

"Weiss, are you going to cry?" Ruby asked as she extended her arms for a hug.

Weiss only nodded as she embraced the dork, her dork. They stayed like this for a while.

"Ruby, let's go back to our dorm. I have things to tell you." Weiss said as she wiped her tears away.

"I also have things to tell you, Miss Schnee." A man with balding brown hair and a large mustache approached the two.

"Klein?" Weiss squinted to see the man more clearly.

"Hello Miss Schnee." Klein smiles warmly at the heiress.

"Klein!" Weiss walked over and hugged Klein

Klein cheerfully laughs as he hugged the young girl. Ruby, on the other hand, is left with questions.

"Uhm, who are you?" Ruby asked.

"Ah yes, you must be Ruby Rose. Hello, my name is Klein Sieben. I've come here from Atlas to observe dear Miss Schnee." Klein says.

"Ohhh." Ruby chimes as she then looked at Weiss. "Weiss, he doesn't look bad at all!"

"Ruby, don't be rude. Klein is our butler back at the mansion. Come to think of it, why are you the one observing me?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Yes, I somehow managed to get your father to agree of letting me be the one who looks after you. I couldn't let your father interfere with your hard fought freedom. Besides, I was getting lonely back at the mansion without you." Klein winks at Weiss.

Weiss looked overjoyed with the news. "That's great, fantastic Klein! Thank you!"

"I do have some things to talk about but I believe I've taken both of your time a little too much with this grand reunion." Klein declares.

"Oh, it's alright Klein. Since Weiss is smiling so much, I don't mind at all." Ruby smiles sheepishly.

Klein then stares at Ruby for a while. Leaving Ruby confused.

"What? What is it?" Ruby finally asks.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I was just curious to know what kind of person you are. Seeing as you're Miss Schnee's lover." Klein casually says with a smile.

Ruby visibly turns red.

"Klein!" Weiss shared the same red blush with Ruby. "You were watching?!"

"I couldn't possibly interfere with such a romantic session now can I?" Klein laughs and takes his leave, bowing down slightly.

* * *

"So.." Ruby starts as she closed their dorm room door. "Your butler's pretty cool."

"Yes, he is as you say it 'pretty cool'. He's more of a father to me than my real one. He practically raised me." Weiss smiles, fond of the memories.

Weiss darted over the center to open a window.

Ruby stares at Weiss in her gown, now under the moon light.

"Beautiful..." The redhead lets the words slip by her mouth.

Weiss then looked at Ruby. "Did you say something?"

"Uhh.." Ruby held her stare and approached her princess. The redhead then pulls out her scroll and plays a nice slow song, A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. Ruby quickly places her scroll on the bed.

"..May I have this dance?" Ruby stretched out her hand, a little nervous.

Weiss smiles softly. "Of course."

Ruby and Weiss danced to the rhythm as they looked at each other. Ruby stumbled a bit, laughing nervously while cursing the lady stilts in her head.

Ruby didn't know how to describe her feelings, she felt a lot of feelings all at the same time. But Ruby loved every moment of it. She wouldn't have it any other way. Seeing her princess laugh and smile was rewarding. And most of all, saying 'Weiss is hers' was dream-like, it was enchanting.

When they came to a stop, Weiss kissed her again softly. Ruby wishing this would never end. However, Weiss parts with Ruby and looks at her.

"Ruby, about all of this.." Weiss starts with a worried face.

"Don't worry so much Weiss! It'll be alright." Ruby reassures her princess.

"Now let me just take off this stupid lady stilts." Ruby stumbles to the floor, trying to remove the abomination.

Weiss chuckles at Ruby's antics. "Do you hate heels that much?"

"I can't believe you wear this all the time!" Ruby points at Weiss' white pumps.

"Unlike you, I've gotten used to them. But I do agree that they're not the most comfortable footwear." Weiss proceeded to sit on her bed to remove her pumps.

"And Ruby?" Weiss calls out.

"Hmm?" Ruby looks up at Weiss.

"Thank you." Weiss smiles genuinely at Ruby.

"For what?" Ruby asked.

"For seeking me. For sticking by me even when I get...difficult. For always being there. For loving me.." Weiss stated gratefully.

Ruby chuckles. "Don't get so mushy on me Ice Queen."

"Hey!" Weiss retorted.

"But don't mention it." Ruby smiled sheepishly.

Weiss' expression visibly softens.

Ruby stands up and stretches. Weiss stares at the girl in front of her and then smiles, standing up.

"You know, I've noticed before but...you're shorter than me, huh?" Ruby casually says.

"What?! We're the same height at the very least!" Weiss argues.

"Nope! I'm taller than you by an inch, Weiss." Ruby laughs teasingly.

"Is that why you always wear stupid heels?" Ruby continues.

Weiss was silent but her face told Ruby the truth.

"Awww, it's alright Weiss. I think you're really cute!" Ruby said as she approached the heiress with arms wide open.

Ruby hugs Weiss gently, the heiress accepting it almost immediately. Weiss took a while but she began to hug Ruby as well. She's soft and warm.

Ruby's eye sparkled as she hugged Weiss.  _'Weiss is so cute, and small(by an inch), and warm!'_ Ruby thought as her smile became wider.

"Ruby, I still have something to tell you." Weiss said but continued to hug Ruby, seemingly relaxed.

"What is it Weiss?" Ruby asked happily.

"We can't tell anyone about us. Not even Yang, okay?" Weiss said firmly.

"What? Why not?" Ruby said as she lets go of Weiss then paused. "Although, I do get it for the most part but Yang's my sister!"

"Ruby, we have to stay quiet about this. It's too dangerous." Weiss tries to convince the redhead.

"Yang would never tell anyone! Besides, Klein knows about us." Ruby retorts.

"Klein is different, he knows what's going on. Your sister doesn't." Weiss reasoned.

"Then we can just tell Yang everything!" Ruby persists.

Weiss sighs. "I'll be frank, Ruby. I don't exactly trust your sister. She's...threatened me before."

Ruby stares at Weiss, a little confused. "What?"

"Remember that little talk me and Yang had before? She wanted to know what happened between us but she also threatened me that if I ever hurt you she'd..." Weiss trails off.

"Yang's just worried about me. She'd never actually hurt anyone! She's my sister, Weiss! I trust her." Ruby argued.

Weiss sighed again. "Alright, Ruby. But before we do anything we might regret, can I take the time to get close to her first?"

Ruby warmed up to that idea. Weiss getting to know Yang was the best course of action. "Alright. That sounds good."

Weiss nodded. "I'll go get changed for bed."

Ruby sat on her bed.  _'Maybe I shouted a little too much. Weiss was pretty calm with all this. I should apologize.'_

Weiss got out of the restroom with her pajamas on. Ruby stood up as soon as she saw Weiss coming out.

"Weiss!" Ruby calls out. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouted a little too much."

"It's alright Ruby. I don't mind at all." Weiss smiles and kisses Ruby's forehead. "Good night."

Ruby blushed and smiled. "Good night Weiss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell you how I felt writing this...but I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> I also want to let you guys know that I have a share of hatred for those...stupid lady stilts.


	15. Omake: The Dance

_'I didn't think a week would go by this quickly.'_ Blake's mind buzzed as she slipped on her dress. It was a quaint black dress, not really special or anything.  _'But more so...I can't believe I'm going to the dance with...Yang.'_ A blush crept onto Blake's cheeks slowly. She noticed this and her eyes widen.  _'I-I-I'm sure Yang just wanted me to go as a friend. That's right, there's nothing to be embarrassed about.'_ Taking a deep breath, she reached for the doorknob and turned it.

 _"Blakey!"_ Yang bursts, smiling widely. "You look so beautiful!"

Blake never really had much friends to begin with. She would always indulge herself with books to pass the time, so she was happy when Yang came to talk to her that day. She appreciated Yang's kind gestures, saying things like Blake needed to socialize more was something she recognized that she should try and do more. Yang even managed to somehow become her partner for the rest of her time here at Beacon. The cat faunus thought of Yang as someone amazing and energetic unlike herself.

"Thank you Yang, you don't look bad yourself." Blake jested as she chuckled.

Yang wore a simple orange dress. Blake thinks it suits her. Bright like the shimmering sun. Yang always seemed to be easy going and happy but that wasn't always the case. Blake has seen Yang angry, sad, and frustrated. She had a feeling that Yang probably doesn't want anyone to worry so she pretends to be fine most of the time. But Blake notices, the split second change in expression. Yang would have a worried face especially when it was about Yang's little sister, Ruby.

Yang merrily put up her arm towards Blake. "Shall we go then, my lady?"

"Why of course." Blake followed up with the joke and grabbed Yang's arm.

The two walked out of their dorm room and headed towards the auditorium where everything was set up for the dance. On the way, Yang talked about her shenanigans during club activities. She was a member of the girl's volleyball team. Yang smiled happily as she blabbed about the one time she was late for practice. The cat faunus listened carefully with her cat ears pointed at Yang's general direction. Blake laughed naturally and then she noticed Yang looking at her with a gentle smile.

"That's it. I want to hear your laugh and see your smile just like that, Blake." Yang said.

 _'W-What?'_ Blake couldn't stop the rushing blood in time and blushed bright red in front of Yang.

Yang chuckles a little too much. "Don't be embarrassed Blakey!"

"I am not!" Yang and Blake arrived at the front of the dance party. "Let's just go get something to eat."

Yang nodded silently with her cheeky smile. "But after that, we're gonna dance!"

Blake looks away. "I guess a dance party wouldn't be one if we didn't."

"Great!" Yang pulls Blake's hand towards the table with food.

 _'I wonder if my baby sister is here yet?'_ Yang looked around the auditorium in search of her baby sister as she pulled Blake over to the table.

"Hey Yang, isn't that your sister? She's with someone." Blake asked.

"Oh yeah, she's probably here with Ice Que—" Yang looked over and saw Ruby chatting and laughing with another guy she didn't know. "—W-Who is that?!"

"Calm down Yang, she was probably asked to the dance by him." Blake stated with a chuckle at the look on Yang's current face.

"R-Ruby never mentioned anyone asking her at all! Ack! They're coming over here!" Yang grabbed Blake's arm and yanked her towards the crowds.

"Yang...why are we hiding?" Blake raised a brow as she asked, not amused by the yanking.

"H-How can you keep this secret from me?! I'm her big sister right!" Yang started as she looked miserable, almost tearing up.

Blake deeply sighed. "Yang, she won't always tell you everything. Ruby's a big girl now."

Yang looked even more miserable. "Nonsense! Ruby is my baby sister and I have to protect her no matter what!"

"Yang..." Blake pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're too overprotective. That boy hasn't done anything wrong."

"Yet!" Yang's face was now filled with anger as she imagined how that boy can harm her baby sister.

"Yang, calm down." Blake held both Yang's hand at this point. That caught Yang's attention. "This is a dance. We came here to have fun and socialize, remember? Let Ruby have fun. We can deal with whatever if things go wrong later."

Blake isn't wrong. This was surely the dance and they should definitely have fun while it lasts. Yang thought about this and relaxed.

"Yeah, you're right. Alright Blake. Let's go have fun~" Yang smiled.

Yang held Blake's hand tighter as she lead them to dance floor. Yang softly swayed to the rhythm while keeping her eyes directly on Blake's. She didn't know if Blake was much of a dancer so she was supposed to take it easy on the cat faunus but Blake swayed with her naturally. Blake smiled and danced to the rhythm with swift foot work. Yang was surprised at this but Blake's smile told her to just enjoy the moment. They danced with the rhythm until the DJ changed it to slow music. They both stopped and gazed at each other, questioningly.

"Oh, uhh.." Yang uttered nervously as she held out her hand and looked at Blake.

Blake takes the hand without much hesitation. Yang then smiled warmly.  _'This girl is always so sure. Like she has everything all figured out. I like that about her.'_ Yang thought inwardly.

Swinging and swaying while holding each other. As the song ended, the only thing they were sure about was that it was fun. They left the dance floor and headed towards the table with food once again. This time, they got their food and decided to find a table.

Yang searched for her sister again.  _'She must still be with that guy...That punk better not make my baby sister cry.'_ Yang thought and then at that moment found them at some table talking to each other. Yang and Blake sat down at the table Blake lead them to.

"Look at them, so giddy like that." Yang mentioned to Blake with a combination of anger and joy.

"You should be happy for them, Yang. Supporting their younger sister is also what big sisters do." Blake dictates then she chuckles at Yang's confusing face.

"Yeah..I know that but.." Yang trails off as she stared at Ruby's smiling face. "Yeah...you're right, I should support my baby sister—then kick ass if things go wrong."

Blake holds up her hand to her face. "Yes, well, that's at least an improvement."

Yang shrugs at Blake's words and then smiles widely. "Let's just enjoy tonight then." The blonde puts her hand on top of Blake's on the table causing the cat faunus to blush appropriately.

"Oh, uh.." Blake looks surprised as her eyes wondered around. Finding something interesting to change to topic wasn't really hard. Ruby and the guy she was with stood up and started to walk towards the dance floor. "Looks like they're going to dance." Blake muttered as she pointed at Ruby's general direction.

Yang wasn't going to get distracted this time. She scooped up Blake's hand and held it tightly. "Blake, being with you is something I love nowadays. Honestly, I just love bringing a smile to your face. Smiles suit you. I don't think I've ever really felt this way about anyone else. You might think it's weird or that I'm out of my mind bu—"

Blake squeezed this dork's hand tightly as she blushed at the words coming out of Yang's mouth. She was not ready for this yet. She had a lot of things to think about. Things to consider. "—T-That's great Yang...I, uhh, well..." Blake's eyes wandered around again, spotting Ruby. "Oh hey, that guy's leaving Ruby."

"What?" Yang's face snapped towards the dance floor in search for her little sister. "Why I oughta..." Her face was gradually filled with anger.

 _'This isn't good.'_  Blake stopped Yang from standing up. "No, Yang, I'll go talk to her, okay? Just relax here for a bit."

"She's my sister, Blake." Yang looked up at Blake who stood up.

"Don't worry Yang. Sometimes, it's best to talk to someone you barely know so they can be honest." Blake stated as she looked at Yang sincerely.

 _'...Blake hasn't said anything wrong since I met her yet. I guess I can trust her words for now. I can always talk to Ruby tomorrow.'_ Yang said inwardly as she nodded at Blake. "Alright."

* * *

_'Where could she have gone?'_ When Blake turned to look for Ruby on the dance floor, she was gone. The cat faunus assumed that Ruby went back to her dorm room but she wasn't there. Blake had two choices, go looking for Ruby or go back to Yang. She chose the former, no arguments there.

Blake took fast strides around the campus trying to find her friend's little sister. She stumbled upon Weiss sitting on the edge of the cliff. She then figured that Ruby might've gone looking for the famous Weiss Schnee, seeing as how close they've been these past few weeks. She walked casually towards the heiress but stopped as she saw Ruby standing and gazing at Weiss.

It seems that Ruby hasn't noticed Blake yet and started walking towards Weiss. Ruby sat down besides Weiss and for some reason, Blake found it hard to approach the two.  _'Maybe I should just go back to Yang for now. Ruby seems fine.'_  

Blake turned around, ready to go back to the dance. But as she did, she heard the words "I love you." from Weiss Schnee's mouth. Now, if it were someone ordinary they wouldn't have heard this but Blake was a cat faunus. Blake could hear a lot of things even from a distance. She hid herself and turned her attention towards the two, yet again.

 _'W-What? I would have never imagined that Weiss Schnee...the Weiss Schnee is..is...'_ Blake closed her eyes and calmed herself.  _'This shouldn't be making me feel so surprised. Everyone have the right to be whatever they want. Just like in Ninjas of Love...'_ Blake opened her eyes again, her focus now extra ordinary, that of a cat.  _'But to have this right in front of me! I must know Ruby's response!'_

After hearing such an adorable conversation, Blake peeled her eyes open as Weiss Schnee moved closer to Ruby. This was it. Blake blushed heavily as red as a tomato. The two kissed. At this point, the cat faunus has had enough heart racing events this evening. Quickly retreating, she clasped her hands near her heart. Her heart was already pounding pretty fast but suddenly, in her mind, Yang's lips flashed and her heart pounded like crazy.

 _'W-W-Why did I suddenly??!'_ Blake run faster, completely shaken now.

Turning a corner, Blake bumped into Yang. Before she fell down, Yang grabbed her hand and pulled her upwards. "Oops, hey."

"You okay?" Yang asked, concern filling her face.

"Y-Y-Yeah!" Blake's blush maintained on her face.

Yang raised her eye brow. "Your looking red, Blakey. You sure you didn't catch a cold out here?"

"Y-Yes. I'm f-fine." Blake tried to compose herself.

"Hmm, okay then but come with me." Yang, still holding onto Blake's hand, pulled it as she walked off.

* * *

_'Why did Yang bring me here?'_ Blake asked herself as she looked at Yang who was unusually quiet.

Yang moved towards the bench. "Do you...remember the first time we met?" Yang looked at Blake with determined eyes.

"Yeah." Blake answered, sweet and short. Blake didn't know why Yang looked like she was resolved to do something but she was soon to find out.

Yang moved to sit down on the bench then she patted the space beside her, asking for Blake to sit.

"When I saw you sitting here so focused on reading with your long black hair flowing along with the wind...I just couldn't help but think 'She's beautiful.'" Yang paused and smiled at Blake who was now slightly blushing but her face saying 'Ah, is that so?' It was rather cute.

"But when I came to talk to you, you looked so unsure to even talk to me." Yang ended with laughter as she reminisced the memories.

"As you know, the faunus isn't really popular anywhere. You could've been trying to talk to me for some evil plan later on." Blake said with a straight face. Yang laughed even more at this.

"That's a real stretch, Blake. You're hurting my feelings!" Yang pretended to get hurt.

"Oh please." Blake only uttered as she took a deep sigh.

"You weren't exactly the friendly type during the first few times we spent time together. But I admired your straight forward thinking, especially when you take action when you need to." Yang smiled widely. "Blake, did you know? You're usually quiet and preserved but when something goes wrong or someone's being bullied, you stand up and do what's right immediately."

"Yes, well, I can't sit still while someone's being bullied now, can I?" Blake answered with a raised eyebrow.

"I love that about you." Yang's wide smile turned into a warm gentle one as she looked at Blake right in the eye.

"Uh..I...ohh" Blake couldn't form any words of reply to the sincere statement as she blushed, looking away.

"But...while I spend more and more time with you Blake..I noticed that you don't really smile or laugh that often. You don't really make any friends either. It just feels like you're trying to avoid everyone. Like you're...running away?" Yang wore a smile but it couldn't hide the concern in her eyes.

"I.." Blake stopped and swallowed. She didn't want Yang to see her weak side. She felt that it wasn't the time to tell Yang yet. Half a minute passed, silence.

"It's alright Blake. You don't have to push yourself." Yang reassured Blake as she kept smiling. "All I really want to do is keep making you smile and laugh. I think it suits you the best."

Blake only nodded as she kept listening to Yang.

"You know, I've always went with whatever that made me happy. I guess you could say I'm a happy-go-lucky kind of person. But..it's the first time I ever wanted to share my happiness with someone...with you, Blake. Is that..okay?" Yang looked up at the night sky, the moon shining ever so brightly.

"Y-Yes. I appreciate it Yang." Blake blushed slightly as she stared at Yang looking up.

 _'W-What's this? Is this a confession?! No..Yang has always been so straightforward...I might just be misunderstanding this. I mean, Weiss and Ruby's relationship is the closest to my favorite book...so there's no way that Yang could be so much closer! Reality isn't that forgiving!'_ Blake's rapid thoughts went through her head as it slightly spun.  _'But...if that were the case....what do I think about...Yang?'_ Blake's eyes focused slightly as she kept staring at Yang. She then blushed heavily at the next thoughts that passed her mind.  _'No no, don't think of your friend that way!'_

"The moon's beautiful tonight, isn't it?" Yang thoughtless asked, smiling softly.

Blake glanced at the moon's brightness. "Yes. It's beautiful."

Yang was content. She was happy, just being with her best friend, sharing this moment together. It was tranquil and peaceful.

"Shall we head back to our room then?" Yang asked after some time of comfortable silence...or so she thought. Blake had been thinking all sorts of things. Things that she'd never tell anyone else before. At least Yang had the right know. She was Blake's best friend, is she not?

Yang stood up and at that moment, Blake grabbed part of her dress, pulling it slightly down. Yang instinctively looked at Blake with a confused face.

"Yang, wait." Blake said, her face still lowered. "I have something to tell you."

Yang took a sit again and smiled. "What's up?"

Blake paused for some time but she took a deep breathe and gazed Yang's eyes. She started. "I...When I was young, I was bullied for my faunus' heritage. It wasn't that out of the ordinary, faunus was always a subject of bullying years ago. I thought of myself as weak, that I couldn't fight back because it'll only get worse...I had a friend back then. We were the only faunus in the same class but I was more bullied than him. He tried to fight for my sake....but it only lead to more bullying. Over time, he was getting more bullied than me.." Blake's tears flow downwards silently.

"My father was transferred to Vale so I had to move and get transferred too. My friend, he...he said that he'll be fine and that I should take care. I haven't heard from him since." Blake wiped away her tears. "That's why I! I've decided to stand up for the weak and be strong! But...of course I wasn't able to change so easily. I was scared at first. I ended up running away and avoid others, I indulged myself in books that couldn't harm me. Books that can widen my vision and experience. After so long, I knew I wasn't going to change if I didn't do anything but I couldn't bring myself to face my fear..until I met you, Yang. You always pushed me to do my best even if we just recently met. I really appreciate it so...thank you."

"Of course, what're friends for?" Yang hugged Blake gently and she returned the gesture. "Thanks for sharing that Blake. Now I really feel like we're the bestest of friends." Yang laughed mockingly. "I guess I have to share something intimate as well, huh?" Yang smiled widely.

"It's alright. You don't need to. I just wanted to get that off my chest." Blake tucks her hair behind her ear. "I'll talk about my feelings some other time." She barely whispers.

"What?" Yang, still smiling, asked curiously.

"No, it's nothing. Let's go back." Blake smiles warmly at Yang.

The two starts walking towards the girl's dormitory.

"But you know, you're already brave and you already fight for the weak." Yang mentions with a wide smile. "So don't look down on yourself so much!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed as always.


	16. We Both Love Her

Morning, after the party, came and Weiss was prepared to deepen her friendship with Yang for her new girlfriend's sake. She had agreed to know more about Yang so that she can trust her enough to tell her about their relationship. Obviously, the big sister was someone very important to Ruby so Weiss couldn't refuse.

' _Anyway, for now, I should get ready for class.'_ Weiss decided as she sat up on her bed. She glanced towards Ruby's bed and saw her girlfriend staring at her, looking excited.  _'W-What is it?'_ Weiss asked inwardly as she blushed slightly.

"Good morning Weiss!" Ruby said energetically with a huge grin on her face.

"Good morning. Why do you look so excited Ruby?" The heiress asked sincerely as she stood up, stretching.

"Oh nothing. I'm just happy to see you first thing in the morning." Ruby said innocently.

Weiss almost gagged herself in surprise. _'How can Ruby say something as embarrassing as that without batting an eye?!'_

Ruby looked concern almost immediately as her girlfriend coughed. "You alright there Weiss?" She stood up next to Weiss and rubbed her back.

Weiss blushed at the contact and said. "Y-Yes. I'm fine, Ruby. Thank you."

 _'I know Ruby was cute but has she been this adorable before?'_ Weiss looked at Ruby and focused on her lips a little more than she wanted to.  _'Ugh, now I want to kiss her so badly.'_

Her partner stared at Weiss, the heiress change her expressions constantly like a confused little animal. "Are you sure you're okay, Weiss?" Came the question.

"Yes!" Weiss answered but it seemed more like a surprised yelp than anything.

Ruby then moved closer and sealed her lips with Weiss'. It was a quick decisive kiss from the younger girl, she's more bold than Weiss had originally thought.

"Morning kiss!" Ruby said as she licked her lips.

If this was going to happen every morning, Weiss was surely going to die because this much heart beating was probably bad for you.

"I'll go prepare for class. I have one this morning." Weiss said while she lightly touched her forehead, trying to hide her blush but it was futile. Her entire face was red and Ruby knowingly smiled at the sight.

"Alright Weiss. You'll eat breakfast with me, right? Let me see if Yang can come with." The younger girl assumed and texted her sister right after.

Weiss only waved her hand, a gesture of approval. She grabbed her uniform and got inside the bathroom.

* * *

Ruby never knew Weiss could be so cute and shy. It made her delighted to see such an adorable side of her new girlfriend. She was giddy and happy that she was with Weiss now, she'd do anything to protect what they have.

After a few minutes, the younger girl received a message on her scroll. She opened it up and looked at the message. "Yeap, it's fine if I bring Blake along right? :D" it said.

They didn't usually eat together nowadays so it was nice to have times like this once in a while. "Yep, sure." Ruby replied plainly.

Weiss then stepped out of the bathroom in her uniform. Ruby stood up from her bed. "You look gorgeous as ever, Weiss." Ruby complimented with another cheeky grin. And as expected Weiss blushed accordingly.

"T-Thanks?" Weiss said unsure if it was sarcasm or real praise. But either way, she was flustered. She was beginning to think that Ruby is a hazard to her health.

The unsure response had prompted Ruby to chuckle causing Weiss to scowl at her. Ruby then put up her arms, a gesture of surrender, and headed towards the bathroom with her uniform, smiling all the while.

Weiss allowed herself to smile a little bit when Ruby had entered the bathroom. Her girlfriend was childish but she wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

After grabbing food, both Ruby and Weiss headed towards the tables. They found the blonde and her partner almost immediately. Who would miss her bright long ruffled blonde hair anyway?

They walked towards the bumblebee duo and waved at them, the two taking noticed waved back. The blonde had an enthusiastic smile while the cat faunus had a more moderate smile.

"Hey Yang, Blake. Good morning." Ruby stated with a small smile.

"Rubes! You look so mature now, it's like we haven't seen each other in ages!" Yang jested and laughed at her own silliness.

"Good morning Yang and Blake." Weiss said formally.

"Good morning." Blake simply replied, trying to avoid eye contact. Her thoughts were filled with things like  _'Are they dating now?'_ or  _'There's no way they know that I know, right?'_

The heiress and her partner sat down at the opposite side of the bumblebee duo and started to eat their breakfast together.

"So, Yang, I have heard that you're on our school's volleyball team." Weiss started, smiling at Ruby's older sister.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I became a member, no sweat!" Yang confidently answered with a grin.

"Yes, I heard there were a lot of recruits, they had to eliminate most of them. It's impressive for you to pass the auditions." Weiss added.

"Yeah, well, I'm on my way to becoming the best volleyball captain ever so that much should be easy." Yang stated with no trace of bragging. She was certainly something else. "Training could be really tough if you're not ready and fit. I expected as much seeing as Beacon's the reigning champion for competitive volleyball for 6 years in a row now."

Weiss was surely impressed by the athletic capabilities Ruby's sister has. She smiled genuinely at Yang. "It sounds like you have it all under control."

"Sure do!" Yang said then she started drinking her protein shake.

Weiss felt a hand on the right hand that was on her lap. Ruby? She glanced at the younger girl besides her who had started a conversation with her sister. She continued to act as if nothing was happening but Ruby held Weiss' hand tightly, the older girl then reciprocated, feeling happy. This surely felt exciting. They were hiding in plain sight.

* * *

After breakfast, Ruby and Weiss headed back to their dorm room.

"Sooo, how was it?" Ruby asked the older girl with a small smile.

"How was what?" Weiss stated with a raised eyebrow.

"Y'know, my sister. Do you think we can tell her now?" Ruby asked energetically.

It was far too soon to decide and Weiss hasn't gotten to know Yang all that well aside from her being athletic and overprotective of Ruby. Although the latter is a really good sign that she's at least caring.

"Well, I think it's far too soon to tell, Ruby. I'll have to spend more time with her." Weiss noticed Ruby' smile shrink a little bit. "Be patient, Ruby. We'll tell her eventually." Weiss added with an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, okay, Weiss." Ruby responded happily.

* * *

After almost a week of spending time with Yang, Weiss decided that she ask the big sister a final question to determine whether or not it's safe to tell her.

Weiss first needed some alone time with the blonde though. She took out her scroll from her pocket and dialed Yang's number.

"Hello Ice Queen, what's up?" Yang answered the call.

"Please stop calling me that." Weiss responded with an unamused look Yang would never see.

Yang laughs on the other end and continued. "Never." She said, smirking.

"Anyway, I'd like to meet up and have a talk with you if you can." Weiss formally asked the blonde.

Yang was silent, for a moment it seemed that she was contemplating. "Is this about Ruby?" She asked, in a bit of a serious tone.

She wasn't wrong. Weiss was close to a conclusion and it was leaning over to telling Yang everything.

"Yes, Yang." Weiss ended up saying.

Yang was momentarily silent but spoke again. "Alright."

* * *

Weiss was waiting for the blonde to show up at the garden. She was sitting down on one of the many benches the garden had.

The blonde had arrive and Weiss promptly stood up to greet her. Yang did the same.

"So, what is it about Ruby that you wanted to talk about?" Yang said straight up.

"Before that, Yang, how good are you at keeping secrets?" Weiss asked bluntly and in a serious tone.

Yang was a little bit surprised by Weiss' piercing eyes but answered all the same. "I'm the best at it. Let's just say I've been entrusted with important secrets before."

Weiss smiled, she knew Yang wasn't lying. Both her and Ruby was always brutally honest when it came to these types of things. They didn't need to hide themselves. Besides, she'd spent enough time with Yang that she can be sure that she wasn't lying.

"Alright, Yang." Weiss looked over by the trees and said. "You can come out now Ruby."

Ruby came out from behind a tree and smiled at the two. She then proceeded to walk towards Weiss and stopped beside her.

Yang was confused. What was this all about?

"Yang, I am dating your sister." Weiss said nervously but it didn't show. Ruby only nodded and looked at Yang's confused lilac eyes.

"W-What? The Ice Queen is dating my baby sister?" Yang uttered, completely shocked.

Weiss and Ruby only waited for Yang to comprehend what was happening.

"I...see. How long?" Yang asked.

"Almost a week." Ruby answered.

"Ruby, this means...you love Weiss?" Yang asked another question.

"Yes Yang. I love Weiss." Ruby responded confidently, making Weiss content and happy.

"And you" Yang looked at Weiss' crystal blue eyes. "You love my baby sister?"

"Yes. I love Ruby, Yang." Weiss said with dignity and pride.

"Then...there's no problem. I trust Weiss now after the time we spent together. Even though you can be...a little mean sometimes, you're a good person. But if you break my baby sister's heart, I'll make sure to break all the bones in your body. I'm not afraid of going to jail, Weiss." Yang said fiercely and then smiled.

The two looked at each other and then back at Yang, thanking her.

But Weiss wasn't done yet.

"Yang, thank you for accepting us but I'd like you to promise something for me." Weiss said in a slightly serious tone.

"What is it?" Yang responded, a little curious.

"I'd like you to promise not to tell anybody about me and Ruby. If my father gets word of it, it's not going to end pretty for either of us. It's also for Ruby's sake." Weiss stated calmly.

"No problem Ice Queen but.." The blonde paused.

"But..?" Weiss edged her to continue.

"Blake seems to know about the two of you. But don't worry, I'll talk to her." Yang finished.

"What? How?" Ruby asked.

"She's been oddly watching you two ever since the dance...and I've been watching her. I'm not sure if she knows but it seems that way to me." Yang concluded.

"I see. Alright, I'll leave Blake to you." Weiss told Yang.

"Just remember Schnee. If you love my baby sister, I love her even more than you!" Yang said as she walked off, waving her hand as she leaves.


	17. A Little Intimacy

Ruby have been dating Weiss for a week now but they haven't actually gone on a date yet. After the party, students have been busy studying for the upcoming midterm tests, especially Weiss. She has been studying non-stop, leaving Ruby..a little lonely.

Today wasn't any different. When Ruby got back to the dorm from practice, Weiss was already slaving away on her desk.

Ruby tossed her bag on her bed and walked up to Weiss, hugging her from behind. A smile creeping up on Weiss' face.

"Weeeeiiiissss, I'm home! Let's go do something together." Ruby said as she rest her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. Weiss smelled nice today too.

Weiss pretends to sigh but smiles at her girlfriend's antics. "Ruby, I'm busy studying for our tests. You understand the position I'm in, right?"

As much as Ruby understood her girlfriend's situation, she still wanted some Weiss time. "Yeah but you've been studying waaaay too much! More than usual!" She whined and protested, biting her girlfriend's neck softly, teasingly.

A shade of red crept up on Weiss' cheeks as she lets go of her pen and pats Ruby on the head. "I'm sorry Ruby." Weiss closed her eyes and started to think of a way to alleviate their situation. "Why don't we study together then?"

"Awwww, studying's boring." Ruby replied almost immediately. "And how are we going to do that? We're on different courses, we have different subjects."

Ruby had a point but that wasn't going to stop her girlfriend, Weiss had a plan. "Well, why don't we have a quiz?" Weiss asked with a gentle smile.

Ruby raised her head at the notion. "A quiz?"

"Yes, we'll both ask each other questions and if you get at least 15 answers correct, we can do whatever it is you want." Weiss finished explaining with a finger up in the air.

"Really?!" Ruby excitedly said with a huge smile. "But what about if you get 15 answers right?" She asked curiously.

"Hmm...I haven't really thought about it." The older girl smiled. "I suppose I'll think about it when I win."

"This means we can both win, right?" Ruby questioned.

"Yes Ruby." Weiss simply stated.

Ruby started to walk towards her bed to grab her bag for textbooks and then she sat down besides Weiss on her desk. Ruby requested that they have some time to study a bit before they begin the quiz.

After some time, Ruby began to ask Weiss questions about one of her subjects.

* * *

Weiss got a perfect twenty out of twenty score and Ruby didn't know whether to be scared or proud. Maybe both.

"Wow Weiss, you really are amazing." Ruby said with her sheepish smile. She gave Weiss a quick kiss on the cheeks to show some affection towards her brilliant partner.

"Thank you Ruby." Weiss blushed and smiled at the same time. "It's your turn now, do your best." She added with a slight teasing tone.

Ruby's subjects were mostly about kinds of food, cooking techniques, history of how some type of food were made, food etiquette, proper usage of utensils, etc. Ruby scored sixteen out of twenty and she couldn't be any happier.

"So, we both won. But I suggest you study a bit more for the tests Ruby." Weiss chuckled a little at her smiling girlfriend.

"Yeah, hahah, I'll study more before the tests comes. Anyway, have any ideas on what you want yet?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, well, I suppose I'd like a kiss." Weiss said almost whispering but loud enough for Ruby to hear.

"O-Okay." Ruby was pleasantly surprised by Weiss' request. She didn't expect Weiss would request such a thing. "But you can always get a kiss from me even if we didn't do quizzes." Ruby chuckled as a shade of red covered her cheeks.

"Yes but I already have what I want most in this world. So I can't really think of anything else." Weiss explained while smiling.

"What you want most in this world?" Ruby repeated curiously.

The older girl moved her face closer to Ruby's ear and whispered. "You." Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand gently, sending pleasant shivers down Ruby's spine. Ruby's girlfriend then started kissing Ruby's neck, slowly kissing upward and towards Ruby's lips. Ruby became slightly vulnerable at the touch of her girlfriend's slim fingertips that moved towards the back of her neck, inching her closer. After a slight pause of them staring at each other's eyes, Weiss sealed Ruby's lips with hers carefully. Both of them closing their eyes.

But as the clock ticked, Weiss became more and more aggressive. It was like something inside the heiress has switched on. Was it stress from her studies? Did she just want to give affection towards her girlfriend? She didn't really know nor care at this point, all she knows is that she loves Ruby. Ruby accepted Weiss' kisses and tried to follow the rhythm of her partner.

The heiress' tongue stopped in front of the younger girl's lips as if asking for permission. Ruby almost immediately granted her partner entrance. They both wanted to taste each other more and more as time passed by. Ruby and Weiss intertwined their tongues together, feeling, tasting, memorizing every moment of it. It was elating and Weiss' head was blank, while Ruby enthusiastically and mentally took notes of how beautiful Weiss was, how soft she was, and how to properly kiss her partner. This was Ruby's second kiss but she was sure it wasn't Weiss' second one.

Alas, all good things must come to end. Nonetheless, they kissed for what felt like an eternity. Weiss was content, smiling gently and staring at her partner. Ruby did the same but with a sheepishly dorky smile. They couldn't be any happier than this. Just being together, fingers interlocking. It was like a dream...and if it really was, neither Weiss nor Ruby would want to wake up.

"I love you." They said to each other, almost in sync.

Comfortable silence filled the air for a while. Ruby was the first to break it with a gentle and soft voice. "As for me, a date...I want a date. After the tests." She said with a steady smile.

"Alright Ruby." Weiss replied sweetly. "But as for now, let's study." She added after a pause, a hint of determination but still teasingly said. She wanted Ruby to stay by her side and one criteria to fill was her grades so that her father wouldn't have any complaints.

"Okay, okay." Ruby smiled as she complied, opening up her textbook again. They studied until dinner was needed.

* * *

Midterm exams flew by for the students of the Beacon University. They were finally able to rest and relieve some stress, that's especially true for both Weiss and, her partner, Ruby. They both dressed up and headed to Vale for their date.

"So, do you have any plans on our first date?" Weiss asked nonchalantly as they walked through the streets of Vale.

"Hmm, I wanted things to be special but I ended up planning a cliche date." Ruby stated with a dorky smile.

"Cliche?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Y'know, going out, watching a movie and, eating dinner. That sort of thing." Ruby rubbed the back of her head, a little ashamed.

"Hmm, well, that should suffice. Just having to spend time with you is already all I can ask for. Especially after those tedious tests." Weiss chuckled. Ruby then grabbed Weiss' hand, interlocking their fingers together. They were cautious about showing affection outside of their dorm room but they considered that in the city of Vale, they were somewhat safe. Klein was probably the only one watching, albeit he was hiding.

"Spending time together is all I ask for too." Ruby smiles warmly at the heiress. Still, Ruby thought maybe she can try to spice things up for their first date. Maybe something memorable to do...but what?

"Is there something wrong? You look troubled." Weiss asked as they enter a movie theater building.

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking." Ruby brushed it off as they neared the counter.  _'So Weiss can be this cute too, huh?'_ Ruby thought, smiling to herself.

"Is there anything you'd like to watch, Weiss?" Ruby asked tentatively.

"Hmm, nothing really. I'm not familiar with movies, I've never watched much of them since my father deemed it unnecessary for a young lady like me before." Weiss stated with a bit sadness in her tone.

"Whaaat?!" Ruby was flabbergasted. "Then we have to fix that right away! What about Moana? It's really good."

"I'll watch whatever you want, Ruby." Weiss stated while seemingly looking like she's in deep thought. Has she ever seen this movie before?

"Great! 'Cause I think this one's perfect for you to watch." Ruby had a huge grin on her face as she told the clerk to give them two tickets for the movie.

The two entered and sat down together, still holding hands. It was a nice and slow phase for the two, after a few kisses and some cuddling during the past two weeks. Holding hands in public wasn't exactly something they could always do.

* * *

Walking out of the theater, Ruby was the first to speak...in a very excited manner.

"Sooooo, how was it?" The younger girl smiled widely, her eyes glinting.

"It wasn't bad." Weiss teasingly said, trying to subdue a smile that was forming.

"Admit it! It was awesome!" Ruby extended her arms up momentarily as she stated the word 'awesome', all the while looking at the heiress.

"Yes yes, it was 'awesome' and quite frankly I admire the main character. She values her responsibilities as the next chieftain but still can't help but love the ocean. I can relate to that." Weiss said while looking fondly at her goofy girlfriend's smile.

"I knew you'd love it." Ruby nodded her head in content then paused, her smile lessened a bit. "So, uhh, was it fun?"

"Yes Ruby, I had fun. Thank you." Weiss reassured her worried partner with a gentle smile that she began to wear more often these days.

They walked down the streets of Vale, hand in hand.

"I'm quite famished. Why don't we find a place to eat at?" Weiss mentions suggestively.

"Oh, sure. Yeah, I'm getting kinda hungry too." Ruby answered nonchalantly.

The older girl lead them to a restaurant named The Twelve Tables. It was a small cozy place with a sort of medieval theme to it. There weren't a lot of people inside but the people who were there were all couples. The atmosphere was quaint and relaxing with candles here and there. It was a little dim but it suited the theme of the restaurant.

 _'This place looks fancy.'_ Ruby thought inwardly as she looked at her girlfriend, walking straight for a table.  _'Well, I AM dating quite a fancy girl.'_ She added, smiling a bit at her own joke. The younger girl followed her partner to the table she had chosen. It was at a corner, for a little privacy.

Weiss had already taken a seat so Ruby sat across her. This prompted a waitress to walk towards them.

"Here are the menus." She stated as she gave the two ladies large booklets.

"Thank you." Weiss mentions politely as she looked over the menu. Ruby only nodding. The waitress bows at them slightly and walks away.

Ruby began to look like she was having a hard time causing Weiss to ask what was wrong. "Is there something wrong Ruby?"

"Uhhh, well..." Ruby blushed a bit. "I can't really read French."

"Oh, yes, sorry. What would you like to eat for lunch?" Weiss asked.

"Uhm, something sweet?" Ruby responded, a little unsure.

"Ruby..." Weiss paused. "Alright but you should really lessen your sugar intake soon. It's bad for your health."

Ruby smiled sweetly. "Okay, okay."

"I recommend honey chicken glaze, it's quite scrumptious." Weiss spoke again with a bit of enthusiasm.

"Cool, sounds good." Ruby nodded with agreement.

Weiss raised her hand to call the waitress and as soon as the waitress stopped in front of them, she spoke. "We'd like to order now please."

"Yes ma'am, what would you like?" She answered with a small smile.

"One beef carpaccio, one honey chicken glaze, and two iced tea. Thank you." Weiss stated in a matter of fact way. The waitress nodded, bowed, and was on her way.

When their food arrived, Ruby was ecstatic to see her meal. It was definitely delicious. Weiss chuckled a bit at Ruby because some of the honey were stuck on Ruby's right side of the lip.

"What?" Ruby asked quizzically at her girlfriend's laughter.

Weiss, after taking a napkin, reached for the mess on Ruby's face. "Just some honey on your face."

Ruby blushed at the notion. "T-Thanks."

It was nice. it was really nice. Ruby thought she could live everyday like this with Weiss. She wanted to be with Weiss like this everyday.

* * *

After lunch, Ruby suggested they walk around town. Maybe they can find something to do together for the rest of the afternoon. They came across an ice rink near the beach of Vale.

"Wanna go try ice skating?" Ruby asked Weiss as she pointed at the building.

"Hmm...sure." Weiss replied, a little unsure.

"You don't want to?" Ruby asked again, noticing Weiss' hesitant reply. "Don't worry, I don't know how to skate either if that's what you're worried about."

"No, it's not that Ruby. I know how to skate." Weiss responded.

"Oh, cool, you can teach me then." Ruby said as she pulled Weiss' hand towards the building.

They entered the building and a tall guy in the counter greeted them. "Hey there! Welcome to Tukson's Ice Rink. You may rent ice skates here."

The two approached the man. He wore a short-sleeved burgundy and black jacket with a white t-shirt underneath it. His hair was cleanly cut, and he had noticeable sideburns, along with hairy, muscular arms. He didn't seem to have any faunus traits at first glance, however, he was a faunus nonetheless.

"Hello. We'd like two ice skates please!" Ruby stated energetically.

* * *

After getting their ice skates and putting them on, Weiss took the lead and she set foot on the ice.

"Alright Ruby, be careful." Weiss stated with concern but still smiled. Ruby took Weiss' hand and put one foot on the ice. Ruby almost losing balance once she put her right foot on the ice.

"Don't underestimate the ice. Find your center and balance." Weiss added as she helped Ruby regain her balance.

Ruby nodded, determined to gain her balance. Weiss smiled at how Ruby was taking this seriously. A little surprised since Ruby could be so childish at times.

"Ruby, grab on the rail and try going around the rink on your own phase. Usually, beginners learn it this way faster since they can gauge their weight easier." Weiss stated in a matter of fact manner.

"Okay Weiss." Ruby nodded as she grabbed onto the rail.

Weiss smiled at Ruby and skated off through the rink, spinning and moving her arms like she was dancing. It was mesmerizing, the way Weiss skated. She was beautiful.

After a few minutes, the older girl skated back towards Ruby to ask her how the practice is going but Ruby looked like she wanted to say something.

"What is it, Ruby?" Weiss gently asked.

"It's not really the first time I tried ice skating..." Ruby said sounding a little sad. "When me and Yang were young, my mom brought us here once. She was really beautiful skating through the ice, I really loved that image of her skating."

"When I saw you skating, that reminded me of my mom. It's always nice to remember the good times that I had with my mom. And...you looked more beautiful on the ice, Weiss. Thanks for agreeing to come here with me." Ruby finished with a smile.

"I see. Thank you Ruby." Weiss responded with a small smile. "I'm glad I agreed as well. I didn't know this was important to you."

* * *

They skated a bit longer than they anticipated after Ruby learned how to skate properly. The younger girl got excited and they both skated together, hand in hand.

As they walked out of the building, they thanked Tukson.

"Wanna go to the beach? We can watch the sun go down." Ruby pointed at the beach.

"Sounds very romantic, Ruby." Weiss teased. Ruby only blushing.

They both sat down on the dry sand, Weiss putting her head on Ruby's shoulder. It has been a tiring but good day.

"I love you Weiss." Ruby started, staring at the horizon. "I don't know when I've fallen in love with you but I have and I'm really glad I did. Weiss, I love you so much, it hurts sometimes. I love how brave and fearless you are. You always stand up even after you've fallen down so many times. I love how confident you are about your won skills because you worked so hard to improve them. But there's times you get scared and you never blame anyone else but yourself. Sometimes, you look so lonely by yourself but nobody bothers to approach you because they don't want to disturb something so beautiful...but I would. I'll keep coming no matter how much you push me away. I'll never leave you alone, Weiss. You make me want to make you smile and laugh. I want to make you happy, Weiss. I want to let you know that you're never alone. Not anymore." Ruby spilled out all her feelings to the heiress, blushing all the while.

Weiss' cheeks were covered in a shade of dark red. It's like Ruby was confessing to her again. She loved every word of it. It's like Ruby knew exactly what she wanted to hear.

"I love you too Ruby." Weiss replied. "I fell for you without even realizing it and here we are now. I love how honest you are. I love how you just don't give up, especially on something important to you. I love the way you look at me...just like that. You always see me as just me. Not an heiress, not someone who is rich, not someone superior, not someone to take advantage of. You don't put labels on people and I really love you for it. Your smile always tells me that everything will be alright. You tease me and joke around even though you know it'll make me mad. When other people are too scared to even displease me. And...even if I leave, you'd always chase me like it's the obvious thing to do. I've always appreciated the things you've done for me Ruby. I love you." The heiress finished as the sun completely disappeared from sight.

"I want to be with you for the rest of our lives." Ruby stated with a huge smile, blushing all the while.

"Is that a proposal?" Weiss asked, her face was covered with a shade of red.

"Maybe?" Ruby said in a teasing manner.

Weiss sat up straight, removing her head on Ruby's shoulder. She looked at Ruby who was staring right back at her.

The heiress then sighed. "Let's head back then?"

Ruby stared at Weiss' baby blue eyes. "Sure..." Ruby inched closer to Weiss' face. "After one kiss."

They kissed each other softly, with lots of love and affection. It was the start of a wonderful evening.


	18. White Rose

Almost five years has passed since our two beloved characters met each other. There were certainly ups and downs on their roller coaster ride of a relationship but nonetheless they got through it together.

Now, Ruby's dream was to open up a bakery of her own in Vale but she's been having trouble realizing it, mostly because of finances. Weiss hasn't been around since they graduated from Beacon. The heiress was busy training at Atlas to inherit her father's company which she'd been training for since she was a child. She's confident that she'll do just fine.

Ruby's scroll began to vibrate and ring in her pocket. She picked it up and looked at who was calling, it was her beloved Weiss.

"Heiya Weiss." Ruby responded in a chirpy tone.

"Hello Ruby. How have you been?" Weiss asked, seemingly lonely at the other end of the line.

"I've been better when you were around." Ruby teased with a small smile, obviously missing the girl on the other end of the call.

"Yeah...Me too. I miss you Ruby. I've been really busy nowadays. But my training will be complete soon, most likely in a month. My father says I'm more than ready but he wants me to complete my training anyway." Weiss relaxed herself as she fondly talked to Ruby.

"That's great Weiss. But I wish I could see you. Why do we have to be so far apart like this? It sucks." Ruby complained childishly. Some things never change.

"Don't worry Ruby, before my father retires and assigns me CEO, I'll come visit you in Vale. I haven't seen Mr. Xiao Long in a long while." Weiss reassures Ruby.

"My dad would love you to visit. I'll ask uncle Qrow if he can drop by when you visit too." Ruby cheerfully stated.

"Oh please Ruby, your uncle Qrow is worse than Yang or your father...But if that's what you want." Weiss gave a small smile that would be left unseen by the younger girl. "Anyway, I have to go now Ruby. I'll call again when I can." Weiss paused for a while. "I love you."

This brought a smile to Ruby's face. "I love you too. Take care Weiss."

* * *

At the airport, Ruby has been waiting for her girlfriend to arrive. It's been a long time since they saw each other and she didn't know how face her again, she felt nervous.

But this was Weiss, so things will be alright. They would probably say hi, and hug each other, and catch up on things.

The soon to be CEO was going to stay at Vale for a whole two weeks. It seems short but that's the most she could get and she'll take it as long as she gets to spend time with her partner.

Weiss arrived at the airport just in time, she pulled along a silver trolley suitcase with a snowflake designing the cover. Her eyes started to wander around for a red hooded girl.

"Weeeiss!" Just in time, the younger girl shouted to get Weiss' attention. "Over here!"

Ruby has grown a few inches over the years they were dating. She wasn't that much taller and it wasn't really that noticeable since the Ice Queen always wore heels. However, the younger girl was no longer a girl, she was now a lady and her figure has grown...quite nicely.

Weiss decided on the plain that she would remain calm and well adjusted upon meeting her lover. But oh was she wrong. Weiss' feelings surged upward on the surface and left her suitcase to make a beeline for Ruby. She tightly hugged Ruby as her perfect demeanor all came crashing down. Weiss sobbed as her lover hugged her tightly, stroking her back gently.

"There there, Weiss. You did great out there. I got you now. Everything's going to be alright." Ruby softly said near her princess' ear.

Weiss only nodding, she lets go of Ruby and kissed her. She didn't care who was looking. She missed Ruby a lot more than she let on. The times they were together were the times she felt free...and going back to her father wasn't exactly thrilling. It was definitely harder than before she came to Beacon.

As soon as they parted, Ruby took Weiss' hand and walked back to her suitcase. Ruby grabbed it and confidently walked her lover out of the airport, hand in hand.

"Ruby...thanks." Weiss whispered almost inaudible. "I love you."

Ruby nodded. "Of course. I love you too Weiss."

Ruby held a sense of security and safety in her stance as she escorted the princess into her car. It was a black Honda civic.

"So, this is the car you've been talking about." The older girl commented, starting to regain her own confidence.

"Yep! I don't regret every lien on this. Besides, it helps me get to work or around better." Ruby mentions happily.

"And the rent on your apartment?" Weiss questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Eep. I..uhh, well...y'see, I asked dad to help me with it..every now and again." Ruby panicked as the question was asked.

"Ruby..." Weiss started.

"I know, I know. I'm an adult now and I have to learn to prioritize stuff. You'd make a great mom, Weiss." Ruby teased.

"Actually, I was going to suggest we get an apartment together." Weiss stated.

"A what? Together?" Ruby asked curiously, glancing at Weiss.

"You dolt, eyes on the road!" Weiss scolded the younger lady. "Anyway, yes, if I'm going to visit often...I was thinking maybe we could just have an apartment together. Would that be alright?" Weiss finished with a question.

"Ohhhh that sounds great Weiss! I'd love to get an apartment with you!" Ruby replies enthusiastically.

 _'That's good. Now you can focus on your dream and I can visit without worrying where to stay. It's perfect.'_ Weiss thought inwardly.

"Yes, it's perfect. You should be able to open up your bakery sooner or later." Weiss suggested.

"Right! Oh but, how'd you know about that?" Ruby asked.

"You mentioned it once on graduation." Weiss said in a matter of fact way.

Ruby nervously laughed. "I forgot that I did. Thanks Weiss."

Weiss became confused. "For what?"

"For helping me achieve my dreams. As cliche as it sounds." Ruby smiled.

Weiss smiled at this. "Well, I get to be with you too so it's a win-win situation."

They both laughed together as Ruby pulled up the car into the building's parking lot.

They exited the car, grabbed Weiss' luggage and got on the elevator, still hand in hand like it was the most natural thing to do. As the elevator moved upwards, Weiss' grip on Ruby's hand became tighter.

And upon entering the apartment, Weiss was wanting—needing—more and more of Ruby. She held Ruby against the door and as soon as it closed, she kissed her passionately. The raw emotion of wanting Ruby just came out to the surface. Ruby only accepting and complying her lover's advances.

Weiss proceeded to kissing Ruby's neck and nape. Ruby had always been turned on by this, shuddering at the touch of her lips on her skin.

"W-What about dinner?" Ruby tried to say.

Weiss paused for a bit to answer. "You're my dinner now."

To say the least, the two ladies had a very...intimate evening.

* * *

Almost a week has passed, it was a Friday, and Ruby had work. Last day of work but she wished she could skip it and spend more time with her girlfriend. They had planned to visit Patch together this evening after Ruby's done with work but Weiss insisted on heading to the little island on her own and wait for Ruby instead.

Ruby didn't know but Weiss was planning a special event for her lover. And everyone was in on it except for Ruby.

As soon as Ruby's shift was over, she headed straight for Patch. She was excited to spend the night with her family and girlfriend just like old times when they had long breaks off from school. It would be super fun in Ruby's opinion.

The house Ruby and Yang grew up in felt a little out of place when she arrived. The lights were off and it was way too quiet, especially since she knew that Weiss and her father was supposed to be inside.

She walked up the porch and placed her hand on the knob to turn it open. The moment she opened it, dim lights went on and music started to play. Rose petals laying everywhere, on the ground and on the furniture. A spotlight turned on who was being operated by her sister Yang, the light was shining at the doorway. Weiss emerged from it with a wireless microphone. She started to sing in the most gentle and beautiful voice Ruby had ever heard.

 

> Hold me close and hold me fast
> 
> The magic spell you cast
> 
> This is La Vie en Rose
> 
> When you kiss me heaven sighs
> 
> And though I close my eyes
> 
> I see La Vie en Rose
> 
>  
> 
> When you press me to your heart
> 
> I'm in a world apart
> 
> A world where roses bloom
> 
> And when you speak angels sing from above
> 
> Everyday words seem to turn into love songs
> 
>  
> 
> Give your heart and soul to me
> 
> And life will always be La Vie en Rose

 

Weiss finished her small little love song and faced Ruby with a smile. She approached the younger lady who didn't move from near the door.

"Ruby...I love you. You've been nothing but kind, gentle, sweet, supportive towards me...I could go on and on about how much I love you." Weiss touched Ruby's face gently with her frail fingertips. Ruby was allured by Weiss' heavenly-like presence at the moment. Weiss wasn't in normal clothes, she was wearing a white dress and the spotlight was on them both. "I'd want nothing more than to spend my life with you until my very last breathe." Ruby started to tear up at Weiss' words.

"Ruby, would you make me the happiest woman on Remnant?" Weiss took out a small red box in front of Ruby. "Will you marry me?"

Ruby was moved enough to make her cry, her hands now on her face. "Yes!" Ruby immediately hugged Weiss. "I would love to marry you, Weiss."

Sound of pictures being taken were heard by Ruby but she couldn't care less about that right now.

"Ruby, you dolt, I haven't had the chance to open it yet." Weiss uttered as Ruby hugged her.

"Oh right." Ruby nervously laughed.

Weiss opened up the box and in it, the most beautifully crafted white rose ring to ever be seen by mankind. She then took Ruby's hand and slipped it on her ring finger.

Ruby's dad, uncle Qrow, and Yang all cheered for the newly engaged. They gathered around to eat dinner. The two never looked so happy.

"Oh..have you told your dad about this..?" Ruby asked Weiss as they were getting food.

"I...haven't. He already knows we've been dating. He didn't exactly take that well. I'm afraid if I tell him now, he'd cancel everything." Weiss told Ruby with a sad expression.

"It'll be fine! He'll accept us eventually...I hope." Ruby's confidence diminishing.

"Or...we could go on with the wedding and tell him after it's all over?" Weiss joked.

Ruby gave Weiss a look.

"Ruby, I was just kidding." Weiss reinforced her words.

"Yeah but.." Ruby tried to argue.

"Ruby, no, I still want my father to attend our wedding. He'll just have no choice but to accept us once I'm CEO of the company." Weiss stated with a smile that looked a little bit evil than nice.

"I love it when you're feisty." Ruby commented after giggling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Ice Flower ends here. It's a little less than a year ago since I started this.  
> The picture and song are obviously not mine. If it wasn't obvious, the song's called La Vie En Rose. It's a very popular love song.  
> It has been fun. Again, let me thank you for reading! I'll see you guys around.
> 
> Hope you're all looking forward to Volume 5. I sure am.


End file.
